Ratchet's Sick Days
by Autobot Chromia
Summary: Set in the TFP Universe. Ratchet is a cranky, crabby mech. It's just the way he's wired, or is it? He was born that way, or maybe he was born with something to make him that way. Now an old 'condition' resurfaces in the middle of the war, and with a vengence. Delve into this medics past, and see how it's related to his future. Rated T for safety, no slash except for OC creators.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-I do not own Transformers. If I did, Jazz would still be here from Bay-verse. Prowl would still be alive from Animated and Ratchet, Prowl, and countless others would have survived the Decepticon hijack in Transformers:The Animated Movie. **

**I Do own any Original Characters in this story. A few being Nova, Streetwise, Moonburst, Syringe, and any others that are not in the show. Thank you. **

**I do not know the exact meaning of the following words, so this is what I mean when these words are used. These are not equivellent to Earth time at all, but what they relate to.**

**Vorn=Month**

**Orn=Day**

**Stellar Cycle=Ten Years**

**Solar Cycle=Year**

**More may be added in later chapters. If there are any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Please review! Thank you all again.**

_A femme and mech both sat in a hospital berth. The femme was completely white, but she had pink strips up and down her servos and pedes. A pink chevron sat on her mech was a perfect blend of orange and dark blue, with black highlights. The femme looked tired, but happy. The mech, her bondmate, had one servo wrapped around her and the other one on the small bundle she held. They both were looking down into it. In the fuzzy blue blanket the femme held, a small orange and white sparkling looked back at them. He had an orange chevron on his tiny helm, and clicked and whirred contentedly up at his creators._

_"He's beautiful."the femme almost whispered._

_"We make a nice lookin' kid, don't we, Nova?"the mech asked, playfully nudging his sparkmate._

_The femme rolled her optics a bit."Puh-lease."she scoffed."He's mainly white, and takes after me more then you, Streetwise."_

_"Hey, he's got some orange on him."Streetwise pointed out."And he looks tough, aren't ya' little guy?"_

_The sparkling looked up at them and clicked back. His blue optics were large and curious. He hadn't cried much, and seemed rather content._

_A doctor was looking in on the happy couple. He hated this part of his job. Bringing life into the world was wonderful. Seeing all the happy faces of the femmes and mechs as they held their newborn sparkling was beautiful to see. Sometimes though, like in this case, he aslo had to be the bearer of bad news. To tell the couple that there was something wrong with their child. It could range from something simple, to a life threatening disease or illness. Why couldn't it just be something simple now? Why couldn't he just go in there and congratulate them and leave? Because it would be wrong. He had to tell them. It was their right to know._

_He vented deeply before knocking on the half open two bots looked up._

_"Come in."Streetwise said."Oh, hey doc! I gotta thank ya'-"_

_"Please, don't."the medic said._

_He was nearly completely red, and had a white heartbeat line on his servos. His name was Syringe. A fitting name for a doctor._

_"Doctor, what's wrong?Nova asked, seeing the way the doctor held himself. It looked like he had something on his mind._

_"I'm sorry."he said."You son...he has."he vented."He has a deficiency."_

_"Is that it? So we give him some suppliments."Streetwise said._

_"It's not like that."Syringe said. "He has a cybertronium defficency. It's more of a disease then a difficency. It will put him in alot of pain, and he will always be tired and depleated. He will need cybertronium, but it will only help for so long." Syringe's voice was soft and trembling a bit._

_"Is it...fatal?"Nova dared herself to ask._

_Syringe vented audibly. "It can be controlled, for quite some time. It will most likely be the cause of his death. I'm sorry."Syringe said. "I'm sorry."_

_"Nothing you can do."Nova said, her voice soft. Her optics closed as she held the sparkling closer to her spark. "How long does he have."_

_"That's the thing."Syringe stated."He can live a long, almost normal life. He can live to a good old age, if he takes suppliments. He must never come off of them. If he does..."his voice trailed off."Then he will die within a few stellar cycles of stopping."_

_Tears slipped down the femmes face as she looked into the innocent blue optics, which looked back at her. He whirred tiredly as he closed his optics and snuggled into his carrier's servos a bit. He was soon in recharge._

_"Sleep, little one,"Nova whispered as the doctor left. Streetwise took his place by her side again, but this time for comfort._

_"Sleep."_

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet groaned to himself as he continued to work. He had a small lab in a deserted part of the base. He was tinkering on something to update the ground bridge. He was exhausted, but wanted to get more work done. It was very late, and Ratchet didn't know how much longer he could keep his optics open for.

"Ratchet."a strong yet gentle voice came from behind him.

"What?"Ratchet asked. "I'm busy."

"You're tired."Optimus said.

"That's an understatement."Ratchet grumbled.

"You really should go get some rest."Optimus said. "It wouldn't do to have our only medic ill or too tired to function."

"I have to get this done."Ratchet mumbled.

"Ratchet."Optimus started, his voice gentle, pleading, and warning.

"Just fifteen more minutes."Ratchet said, sounding more like a youngling asking that an adult stating.

Optimus vented."Fine."

Ratchet went back to his work, but soon noticed that Optimus hadn't left. He was standing there, timing him. Just like him, to time Ratchet just to make sure he made it to bed.

"You can get to bed yourself."Ratchet said."I don't need you standing there like I'm some sort of sparkling!"

"I shall retire when you do."Optimus stated.

"So you're going to play that are ya'?"Ratchet asked. He sighed."Fine. You win."

He pushed the devise away from him. He stood from his chair. He took a few steps toward the exit of the make-shift laboratory. After a few steps he realized that Optimus was not folowing.

"Well? Aren't you coming?"Ratchet asked.

"Ratchet, are you feeling all right?"Optimus asked.

"Me?"Ratchet asked."I'm fine. Just want to get to bed."

Optimus nodded, still studying the orange and white mech. After a second or two, he also went up the halls to their seperate berthrooms.

"Good night, old friend."Optimus said.

"Night, Optimus."Ratchet returned, stepping into his own quarters.

He vented as he locked the door behind him. He didn't bother turning on the light as he knew his way around the berthroom very well. He was soon face first on the berth. He streched out and moaned tiredly. His entire body ached. He felt slightly warm, but he brushed it aside. His room was always warm. Recharge soon took over, and he slept.

OoOoOoOoO

Optimus was the first one up. It didn't surprise him any; he had always been an early riser. Ratchet would probably wake up soon as well, and then the others would wake up in any random order. Optimus got a cube of energon from the vault and began to sip it. He went to the moniter to check for Decepticon activity, and watch the news. It always surprised him on what the humans were doing. All the wars and attacks they had, all the random devises they invented...It never ceased to amaze him.

"Optimus?"Arcee's voice asked.

"What is it?"he asked, turning his attention away from a local news channel.

"Where's Ratchet?"Arcee asked.

"He is not up yet?"Optimus asked.

Arcee shook her helm."I already checked the lab."

Bulkhead and Bumblebee were coming up the hall now. They looked at Arcee and Optimus.

"What's up?"Bulkhead asked.

"Have either of you seen Ratchet this morning?"Optimus asked.

Bumblebee buzzed and shook his helm.

"I haven't seen him, but his door still closed. I didn't try it or nothin', but..."

"Thank you, Bulkhead."Optimus said, already on his way.

The others followed behind. Optimus knocked softly a few times.

"Ratchet, are you awake?"Optimus called through the locked door.

There was no answer. Optimus knocked again,louder. He called out his name again.

"Ratchet, your door is locked. Will you open it?"Optimus called.

Again, nothing but silence answered them. Optimus typed in his override code into the door. He stepped in and looked about the dark room. Bumblebee turned on the light. The sight of their medic still on his berth, his back to them, was slightly shocking. Optimus quietly went to his side and shook him gently.

"Ratchet."

Said mech groaned a bit, not waking up or moving. Optimus went to shake him again, but instead put his hand on the medic's forehelm.

"Bumblebee."Optimus started."Will you please go get a cool, damp cloth?"

/Yes, sir/Bumblebee said, turning and leaving obediently.

"What's wrong, Optimus?"Arcee asked.

"Ratchet is burning up."Optimus answered, sitting down on the side of the berth.

Ratchet had started to shift, and moaned again. He unshuttered his optics, still facing the wall.

"Primus."he muttered, rolling onto his back.

"What's wrong?"Bulkhead asked.

"My helm."Ratchet mumbled."It feels like Bulkhead used me as a pair of human bongo drums."

This statement earned a quiet chuckle from the mentioned green mech.

"You're overheating."Optimus said.

"Which explains why the room is so fraggin' warm."Ratchet said. He rubbed his optics as they too hurt from the pounding of his helm."Will sombody turn of that slaggin' light? Or turn it down, or something!"

Arcee went and quickly turned down the lights.

"Thank you."Ratchet muttered.

Bumblebee had returned, a human towel in his hands. It was most likely left behind by the base's previous inhabitants. Ratchet had been usuing some of them as cleaning or grease rags, but Bumblebee thought that this one would work nicely as a cooling rag for Ratchet. He handed it to Optimus, who thanked him before laying it on Ratchet's helm. It draped over the lower part of his chevron.

"Oh."Ratchet mumbled."That feels nice."

Ratchet hadn't noticed, but he had started to rub the joints of his hand. His digits curled in an odd, uncomfortable way. Optimus took Ratchet's hand in his own and started to rub it. A moan escaped Ratchet's dry lips.

"Ratchet."Optimus started, continuing to massage the limp hand,"You don't think-"

"No."Ratchet inturrupted him."It's just a migrane. It'll pass."

"Ratchet."

"I'll be fine, Optimus. Give me ten minutes and I'll be up."Ratchet said,pulling his hand out of Optimus'.

Optimus vented."If you say so. Don't push yourself. If you need to rest, then do so."

"Yeah, yeah."Ratchet waived him off.

OoOoOoOoO

Exactly ten minutes after the others had left Ratchet's room, said mech dragged himself to the main hangar. He didn't look well at all. He still looked tired and in pain. He stood before the moniter, his back to the others. Optimus went over to his side, and slid a larg hand on Ratchet's white forehelm.

"Optimus, really?"Ratchet asked."Since when have you become the medic of the team?"he asked, pushing Optimus' hand away.

"You are still a bit warm, Ratchet."Optimus said.

"I was simply overheating from the migrane."Ratchet said matter-of-factly.

"What would have caused one in the first place?"Optimus asked, sounding as if he knew that Ratchet knew the answer.

Ratchet simply shrugged a shoulder. "Lack of recharge most likely. You were right, I needed the rest. Ya' happy now?"

With that said, he turned back to the moniter. Optimus vented as he left and went down the hall. The others watched as he returned with a cube of energon. He went and handed it to the medic.

"Oh, thanks."Ratchet said absent mindedly.

He took a few quick and hesitant sips before setting it aside. Optimus vented again before going towards another set of moniters. The others went scouting for energon. The base was almost as empty as it was quiet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_"Shh. It's all right."the pink femme tried to shush the crying sparkling she held in her servos._

_"Is he all right?"Streetwise asked, coming in the front door from work._

_He went over to his sparkmate and gave her a kiss. She broke it though._

_"I-I don't know. He won't stop crying."Nova said, sounding flustered and ready to cry herself._

_"Calm down."Streetwise said to both femme and sparkling._

_Nova continued to walk back and forth across the room, bouncing the boundle ever so slightly. It had been a few vorns since they had brought their sparkling home from the hospital. He had been given suppliments to take multiple times a day. They were told that they would help, but many symptoms would still show. A few of the symptoms included pain, purging, seizing, seizure like experiences, fatige...and a few others. _

_"Shh. Calm down."Nova shushed the now close to screaming sparkling._

_His cries came to an abrupt stop as his entire frame tensed up. He stopped and gasped out before crying again. He stopped crying only to tense up and shake again._

_"Okay, okay."Nova said."It's all right. I'm here."_

_The sparkling started to cough, and half-processed low grade energon came from it's tanks. It was more of a spit up though. It managed, however, to get onto his carriers servo and the floor._

_"I got it."Streetwise said, taking a rag from the table that had been set there for just this purpose._

_He quickly wiped up the energon from the floor, and then wiped it from Nova's servo. He wiped up until his hands went to her shoulders, and then brushed on a few wires in her neck. The rag fell to the floor as Streetwise's lips met Nova's. The sparkling had quieted down, so Nova kissed him back. A sudden tensing between them made them once again break their kiss._

_The sparkling was shaking badly. He wasn't intaking or venting out. His entire frame was tight, and his optics were wide in fear._

_"It's okay, it's okay."Nova said, patting his back._

_The sparkling vented out with an audible woosh. He was too tired to cry anymore, and barely managed a whimper. His optics were closing in recharge, so Nova started to rock him. The gentle motion of her rocking servos, and the steady beat of her spark soon lulled the sparkling to sleep. She sat down in a rocking chair to continue the rocking motions, and keep him in stasis._

_Streetwise sat down at the table to look over the day's mail. One enveloped, marked from the hospital, intrigued him. He opened it and glanced it over._

_"Nova, what is this?"he asked._

_Nova glanced up."Street, I-I'm sorry. I took him to the ER a few days ago. He...he was just..."_

_"It's all right."Streetwise said, coming to her side._

_"He wouldn't stop crying and...and shaking. The meds weren't working so I took him to the hospital. While we were their, he had a seizure."Nova said."They said that if he had had it at home, he wouldn't be here right now."_

_"It's okay. It's all right."Streetwise said, wiping a few tears from her white face. "You could have told me."_

_"I didn't want to worry you at the time."Nova said."I knew you'd find out when we got the bill."_

_Streetwise nodded in agreement. He sat down in a chair next to Nova. looking at the sleeping mech._

_"How's work going on?"Nova asked._

_Streetwise vented out. "The strike's still going. I don't even want a strike! I just want to work again. We need the credits, Nova."_

_"Street, you're underpaid. The strike will help you get a raise."Nova said._

_"And what if it doesn't?"Streetwise asked."This strike has gone on for weeks now, vorns even. I need to start looking for another job."_

_"But, Street!"Nova exclaimed."You love your job."_

_"Like you said, it doesn't pay well. Right now I'm not getting paid at all."Streetwise said."The bills are pileing up, he needs more medicatons..."_

_Nova nodded and laid a hand on his servo."Do what you think is right. I can start looking for a job as well."_

_Streetwise shook his helm."I know you're worrid, Nova, but he needs you here."_

_Nova nodded. She really did want to stay at home. All she ever had wanted to be was a carrier. This sparkling was completely dependant on her, even more so because of his illness. She vented out, usuing her free hand to stroke the tiny, orange chevron. She looked up as she felt a warm hand on her servo._

_"Nova, don't worry."Streetwise said."We'll get by. He'll be fine, I'll get another job, and everything will be all right again."_

_Nova simply nodded._

_"Nova, look at me."_

_Nova lifted a tear stained face to look at her bondmate._

_"Don't cry, please. It breaks my spark."Streetwise said, wiping away some fresh tears from her face."I promice that everything will be all right."_

_Nova put a hand over Street's, which still cupped her cheek._

_"I know."she said in a near whisper._

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet grumbled to himself as he felt another helmache coming on. School was over for the day and the children were at base. Miko had decided to show Bulkhead some new music she had learned on her electric guitar. Did she really not know anything but heavy metal? Ratchet rolled his shoulder and continued typing.

"Ratchet, are you all right?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet vented. Ever since he had woken up with that migrane that morning Optimus had been hovering over him. Asking him constantly if he was feeling all right. Ratchet was actually debating whether to tell him that he wasn't feeling all right, just to see what the reaction would be. He decided against it though.

"I'm fine, Optimus."Ratchet said, irritation very clear in his voice."Which is better then I can say for my audios."

"Bulkhead and Miko are fond of that kind of music."Optimus said, an amused look on his face. He disliked that music every bit as much as the medic did.

"Music? Can it really be called that?"Ratchet asked in a scornfull manor.

"Get with it, doc!"Miko shouted above the 'music' she was playing.

"I can't hear you."Ratchet said, an obvious lie."You will have to stop, unplug, and destroy your amp and guitar for me to be able to hear you once again."

Miko rolled her eyes, but decided to turn it off."That's enough practice for one day."

Ratchet scoffed a bit befor returning his attention back to the moniter. A few warnings began to pop up in his HUD. They kept telling him that he was drastically low on something, but would not tell him what. He checked his energy levels, only to find them normal. He went to the energon vault and got a cube anyways. Maybe if he refueled the warnings would leave.

A funny thing happened to him on his way back. It seemed almost as if Primus had planned it out, so that the second his foot had crossed the threshold back into the main hangar, the entire room spun faster then a top. All of the bots and humans and moniters blended together into a sickening swirl. He swayed to the side and clutched the hall for support. A blue and red swirling blob had rushed over to him, and something rested on his servo. A distorted voice called out to him. Many distorted voices, in fact, called his name. He found himself unable to answer as the multi colored swirl became laced with black. The blackness swirled it's way in, taking up more and more of the colors. Almost as quickly as it had started, the blackness completely took over, and the motion and voices stopped.

OoOoOoOoO

Optimus watched as Ratchet went towards the energon vault. His steps looked slightly unsteady, but barely noticable. The more he looked, actually, the less it looked off. Optimus brushed it aside as him being over protective. Paranoid, even. He turned his attention back to the moniter. A small, shakey moan reached his audios, and he turned to see Ratchet slumped against the wall. Slumped is the wrong word though. He was clutching the wall as if his life depended on it.

"Ratchet."Optimus said, rushing to his side.

He put his hands on the orange and white servo to try and steady him.

"Ratchet, what's going on?"Bulkhead asked.

/Ratch?/ Bee's whirred.

"Ratchet, say something."Arcee said, patting his other servo.

Ratchet looked at each one of them, and odd look on his face. His optics were whirrling out of control, either trying frantically to focus or malfunctioning. He squinted, as if trying to stop them or trying to make something out. They flew open for a moment before closing again. The medic's weight fell foward into Optimus' servos and hands.

"We need to get him to med-bay."Optimus announced, all ready picking up the medic.

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee got out of the way as Optimus carried Ratchet towards the med-bay.

"Hey, Jack."Arcee started."Mind if I take you-"

"Not at all."Jack said.

"That's a good idea."Bulkhead said."It is about time to go home anyways."

"Aw, Bulkie!"Miko protested."I wanna see if Ratch is okay!"

"Miko, it's Friday. I'll pick you up tomarrow and you can see then. Ratchet needs rest now." Bulkhead said.

"Aw, all right."Miko pouted.

Bumblebee whirred and buzzed to Raf.

"Okay."Raf answered.

The three guardians transformed for their charges, and each took off. They dropped them off at their homes, promicing to return the next day. Jack went and told his mom, June, about what happened to Ratchet.

"Is he all right?"June asked, her nurse side coming though.

Jack shrugged."Don't know. Optimus carried him into the med-bay, and the others quickly took us home. I don't think they know what's going on either."

"I'm coming with you tomarrow."June said.

"Um, okay, but don't you have work?"Jack asked.

"It's a Saturday."June said."You of all people should know that."

Jack nodded."I'm heading to bed. Arcee said she'll be by early."

June nodded and headed of to her room as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_"It hurts, Mommy." a small orange and white youngling said from a hospital berth._

_He leaned weakly against the back of it, his helm tilted to the side. He sniffled slightly as another surge of pain courced through his entire body._

_"I know, sweetie."the pink and white femme said, who was seated by his side. She was gently stroking his helm, which was pounding."You'll get your shot real soon, and then you'll feel alot better."_

_"No, I won't."the small youngling said._

_He was about that of a human two year old, but he was very smart. He could speak fluently in his naitive language, he could walk and run without assistance, and he was starting to read. _

_"What do you mean?"Nova seemed to coo._

_"They make me feel betder for a wile, but ten I feel bad 'gain."he said in a way only a youngling could._

_"At least they help for a little bit, right?"Nova asked._

_"Well...I guess."the orange youngling decided."Mommy?"_

_"Yes, sweetie?"_

_"Can...can you hold me?"_

_"Will it make you feel better?"Nova asked, already climbing into the berth though._

_The youngling could barely nod. Nova gently picked him up and he whimpered at the pain of being moved. As soon as he was seated, though, he snuggled into the crock of her servo and lap and chasis. She stroked his helm as he closed his optics. A knock was heard at the door. The youngling made no movement as the door opened._

_"Hello in here."the nurse said gently."Nova, back so soon?"_

_Nova nodded, tears stinging her optics."He-he's been in alot of pain, and his medications don't seem to be working."_

_"They'll have to be upped."the nurse said._

_She was a slender blue and white femme. She bent down next to the berth to get on optic level with the youngling. She reached out and stroked his servo gently._

_"Not feeling good, little guy?"she asked._

_The youngling shook his helm, stopping as his helmache became worse._

_"I'll help fix that right up."the nurse said, standing up and going to a drawer."This will help you feel all better."_

_"No, it won't."the youngling said in a crabby, hurt voice._

_"Hey, now."Nova said in soft scorn."Is that any way to talk to Moonburst?"_

_"Sowrry."the youngling whimpered, burring his face in his carrier's side._

_"It's okay."Moonburst replied gently. She held a needle in her hand as she turned back to the youngling. "You remember this, right."_

_The youngling barely nodded._

_"It's gunna hurt for a second, like a little pinch. Then you'll feel sleepy. Same as always." Moonburst said. "Can you be brave for me and your carrier?"_

_The youngling could barely nod again. A coughed weakly a few times as he lay his tilted helm into his carrier's side more._

_"Can I have your servo?"Moonburst asked, taking the protective cap off of the needle point._

_The youngling had no fear of the needle. He simply held out his servo, ready for his injection. He didn't have the need or the strenght to cry as it slid into a tube in his servo. He didn't even flinch, he had been here so many times before for this reason._

_"Good job."Moonburst said, disposing of the empty needle._

_Darkness slowly inked its way around everything in the room. It was a familiar feeling, but still terrifying to the youngling none the less. _

_"Mommy!"he cried out._

_"It's all right."Nova cooed to the youngling."I'm right here, Ratchet. It's all right."_

_Nova's soft voice melted away into the darkness, as the youngling fell into a drug induced recharge._

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet muttered something as he started to wake up. He started to open his optics a slit only to snap them close as the room continued to spin. A sudden pinch in his servo made him jump a bit. The spinning slowed down, but he still felt rather light-headed.

"What the frag was that?"Ratchet weakly exclaimed.

"Ratchet."Optimus said.

Ratchet remembered how much Optimus disliked cussing, but didn't care right now."What the slag are you doing to me?"

"Ratchet."Optimus repeated.

Ratchet vented, defeated. "What's going on?"

"I gave you an injection."Optimus said.

"Of what?"Ratchet asked, starting to rise.

Optimus placed a hand on his broad, orange shoulder. He gently pushed Ratchet back down. "Stay down, Ratchet. Don't try and get up yet. You collapsed in the hall."

"The room was spinning."Ratchet said."I don't think anyone would have stood in a military fashion."

Optimus vented."Ratchet do you think-"

"No, Optimus, I don't."Ratchet said, hardening his voice.

"We'll see."Optimus said, rising.

"What do you mean?"Ratchet asked."What have you done?"

"You shall see."Optimus said.

Ratchet vented, too tired to argue."Fine."

Optimus checked a mashine that Ratchet usually used to see energon samples from.

"Optimus, if you put anything in there, it's gonna take a while."Ratchet said from the berth.

"All right."Optimus said. "Get some rest, old friend."

"All right,"Ratchet said, much to the surprise of the red and blue mech.

Optimus understood how tired Ratchet was, if his hunch was correct. If his hunch was correct, this was only the begining.

**I apologize for this rather short chapter. Please review. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_"Ratchet?"Nova's voice called though the door. _

_She knocked a few times, only to reseive more silence. Quickly she opened the unlocked door and looked about the room._

_"Ratchet!"she exclaimed."Street!"_

_Footsteps could be heard running up the stairs and through the short hall. Streetwise soon appeared in the doorway of Ratchet's room._

_"Nova, what-Ratchet?"he exclaimed._

_"Help me, please."she said._

_Ratchet was slumpped over on the desk in his room. He had a data-pad, a school book, on science on the desk. It was being used more as a pillow though instead of a learning manual. He was breathing heavily, in short gasping pants._

_"He's burning up."Nova said, removing her hand from beneath the orange chevron._

_Streetwise came over and picked up a nearly eight solar cycle old Ratchet. It had been a hard eight solar cycles for the young mech. Frequent trips to the hospital, spendings orns there sometimes. He had to always take suppliments. He didn't mind taking them, but he always felt guilty for doing so. Though they tried to hide it from him, he knew how hard his sire had to work to pay the bills, get energon on the table, and medications for him. _

_Ratchet moaned a bit as he unshuttered his optics a bit to look up into his sire's worried face._

_"Easy there."Streetwise said, laying him in the berth. "You're okay."_

_Nova picked up an open bottle of medication from the desk. She dumped out the contents on the desk, and counted the pills. _

_"There's too many here."she said."Ratchet, why haven't you been taking your medications?"_

_"I-I'm sorry."he gasped."I-I was trying t-to save 'em."_

_"Ratchet, you can't do that."Streetwise said._

_"I-I..."Ratchet was cut off by a fit of violent coughs._

_"Hold still."Nova said once he stopped coughing._

_She took his servo and thrust a needle into a tube. She injected it's contents into him. He vented out as the tip of the needle left his servo._

_"I-I'm sorry."he said again._

_"Ratchet, did you take any today?"Nova asked, sitting down next to him and stroking his pounding helm._

_Ratchet sheepishly shook his helm."I-I was going to, but I forgot once. I was going to take just one dose to make 'em last longer, but forgot."_

_"Ratchet, you can't be skipping these like that. What made you forget?"Nova asked._

_"I was...studying."Ratchet said."I have a science test in a few days."_

_A soft smile crept across Nova's face. She was proud that he was such a studious student. _

_"Ratchet, do you like being educated at home?"Nova asked._

_"Yes!"Ratchet said."I do."_

_"Why?"Nova asked._

_"Because I can focus on subjects I like in depth, like science and history and math."Ratchet said. "If I went to a public or even a private education center I would only do the bare minimum."_

_Nova felt proud that that was how Ratchet saw his education."Is that all?"_

_"No, I can give less time to subjects I don't like or aren't good at. Do the same amount as the education centers in those subjects...like art."he said with a shudder at that dreadful subject._

_Nova chuckled."I'm glad you see it that way. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to an education center."_

_"N-no, ma'am!"Ratchet said."Unless, that is...unless you wanted me to go."_

_Nova shook her helm."Ratchet, do you know why I educate you at home?"_

_Ratchet thought hard for a minute. He shook his helm. "No, not really."_

_"Because you can take an orn off every now and then, and then pick right back up where you started where you left off."Nova started._

_Ratchet nodded. He remembered as he had taken time off of school before. He did school all year long, not only to keep up, but to get ahead. _

_"You can also take nice long breaks when you need to."Nova said._

_Ratchet started to nod, but stopped."Break? I don't need a break."_

_"You've been studying too hard."Nova said._

_"You don't know any younglings your age."Streetwise added._

_Ratchet shrugged a shoulder and vented out. He leaned his helm onto his carrier's shoulder as she continued to stroke his pounding helm._

_OoOoOoOoO_

_"It's all right."Nova's voice gently spoke to her young son._

_He was leaning over the side of the berth, again. He started to cough and retch as she patted his back struts. He started to purge a bit into the bucket that had been placed there. He sat back when finished, looking exhausted. Nova started to get up, much to Ratchet's dissmay._

_"You need to rest."Nova said, planting a kiss on his still warm forehelm._

_"Yes, ma'am."Ratchet answered hoarsly._

_"When you're feeling better, I can take you to the park."Nova said. "I have some shopping to do, and maybe you can meet somebody."_

_Ratchet just shrugged, not really liking the arrangement."I guess."_

_Streewtwise chuckled as he patted his son's servo."Get some rest."_

_"Okay, Dad."_

_Streetwise turned off the light. Nova stood in the dimmly lit hallway, a few steps away from Ratchet's berthroom door. She had her back to the wall,her optics closed. Streetwise went beside her and wrapped his servos around her as she quickly brushed away a few tears._

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet rolled over in the medical berth. It took him a moment to remember where he was. The beeping of the moniter reminded him. He had collapsed the other day. He had shown weakness in front of the children, the others, Optimus. Optimus had seen him like that before, worse even, but that still didn't change anything. Speeking of Optimus, said mech was coming to the medical bay now. He was holding two cubes of energon. That was the last thing Ratchet wanted to see now. Shimmering, blue cubes of energon.

"Here, old friend."Optimus said, handing the cube towards Ratchet."You're energy levels are low."

"Thank you, but no."Ratchet said, pushing the cube away from his face. "If I drink that, I will purge."

"You're not feeling well?"Optimus asked, setting down both cubes.

"I feel fine, just not able to eat."Ratchet said, sitting up.

Optimus pushed him back down."Ratchet, your scans are showing that you are still running a temperature. If you feel unwell enought not to eat, then you should stay here."

Ratchet didn't have the strenght to fight him. His tanks were rolling more now, so he kept his mouth shut. Optimus seemed to see the change in the medic, and left the room. He soon returned bearing a large, bot-sized, plastic bucket. He set it next to the berth. Ratchet rolled his optics and scoffed a bit. Optimus left the with both cubes in his hands. One for himself, the other to put away. On his way back into the main hangar, Arcee started to speak to him.

"How's Ratchet doing?"Arcee asked.

"He still feels rather unwell."Optimus answered."He did not feel able to take his morning's rations."

Arcee nodded, understanding."Do you have any idea-"

Violent retching reached their audio receptors. Both bots rushed to the med-bay, only to find their medic on his knees over the bucket. He retched again, and purged. He gagged on the acidic flavour that filled his mouth. Arcee was by his side in a moment, patting his back struts. Ratchet finally stopped, and gasped in breathlessly.

"I bet you're glad I brought that in now."Optimus said, a familiar glint in his optics. A glint Ratchet hadn't seen since they were younglings.

"Yeah, yeah."Ratchet muttered. "Thanks."

"Let's get you back into the berth."Optimus suggested.

"Optimus, I am feeling much better."Ratchet said, shaking off the hands that tried to support him.

Optimus shook his helm."Homestly, Ratchet, you are still overheating, you have purged, you look dizzy-"

"Ratch, just listen to Optimus."Arcee said. "Stop acting like everything's fine when it's obvious you're sick."

Ratchet glared at Arcee. "I shall go tend to the moniters."Ratchet said defiantly.

Arcee huffed as the medic slowly left the med-bay and went towards the main hangar.

"Doctors really do make the worst patients." Arcee sighed.

"We need to keep an optic on him."Optimus said to the blue femme.

He went over to a the machine Ratchet used for studying energon samples. It still wasn't done.

"What are you doing?"Arcee asked out of curiosity.

"If I am corrrect, then I will tell."Optimus said."You do not need to be worried with it if I am in error. It is simply a sample of Ratchet's energon."

Arcee nodded."Does he know you have it?"

"I believe so. I took it while he was recharging, though."Optimus said.

"What are you looking for?"Arcee asked.

"That is what I shall tell later."Optimus said."For now, our main priority is to keep an optic on our stubborn patient."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Ratchet hated this arrangement, but he kept silent. His carrier had dropped him off at the playground, and she had left to do some much needed shopping. Ratchet had watched her leave until she became a tiny white speck, and then dissapeared all together. He sat down under a tree and took a data-pad out of his subspace. It was on first aid and the like. A looked up from time to time, and watch a few other younglings playing on the equipment, or with toys they had brought. _

_One youngling stood out in particular. He was blue and red, and had a ball with him. He would toss the ball at a tall, brick wall, and hit it as it bounced back at him. It was a game that could be played by one bot, or more. Handball was being played as a solitary game in this case._

_'He's as lonely as I am.'Ratchet thought to himself. _

_Ratchet brushed the thought away though as a green youngling came up to the red and blue one. After awile, the ball the red and blue mech had been playing with rolled beside Ratchet's pede. He looked up from his data-pad to see the same youngling standing there before him._

_"Lose your ball?"Ratchet asked._

_"What are you doing?"the youngling asked._

_"Reading."Ratchet answered."A pad on medicine."_

_The youngling nodded."I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"_

_Ratchet shook his helm."I've always been here. SInce I was born. You probably haven't seen me before because I don't go to the education centers."_

_"Where do you go?"the youngling asked._

_"My carrier teaches me."Ratchet answered."At home."_

_"Neat."the youngling said."I'm Orion Pax."_

_"Ratchet."_

_"Why are you sitting here all alone? You look kinda sad too."Orion observed._

_Rachet just shrugged."My carrier wants me to 'meet other younglings'."Ratchet said."Who am I gonna meet?"_

_"You meet me."Orion stated._

_Ratchet's face brightened up."I guess I did."_

_"Wanna go play?"Orion asked._

_"Sure."Ratchet started."Just, er...hold on a second."_

_"Why, what's wrong?"Orion asked._

_"Nothing."Ratchet answered quickly. _

_He opened up has subspace and put the book away. He took put a bottle of pills and shook two of the yellow and blue capsuls out. He quickly popped them in his mouth, cringing at the raw, bitter flavor of the cybertronium. He put the bottle back, and closed his subspace._

_"Can we go play now?"Orion asked._

_"Sure."Ratchet answered._

_Orion Pax picked up the ball and he and Ratchet went out to an open area and began to toss the ball to one another._

OoOoOoOoO

A loud beep alerted the Prime that his hunch was ready to be tested. He took a deep breath before going into the med-bay alone and looking at the screen. It was full of figures, but Optimus scrolled past them all. He was looking for one thing, and one thing only.

"Ratchet."

Ratchet's helm jerked up. He was ashamed at himself. He was standing in front of the moniter, looking for Decepticon activity when he was suddenly overcome with fatigue. He must had started to doze off while standing up.

"Ratchet, please come here."Optimus' voice called form the med-bay again.

Ratchet stifly walked over to the med-bay.

"What is it, Optimus?"Ratchet asked, trying to sound anoyed instead of tired.

"I have the results from your energon test."Optimus said.

"You need help reading them?"Ratchet smugly.

"I will be the first to admit that the rest of the results on this report are quite foreign to me, I understand perfectly what this is."Optimus said, handing the data-pad to Ratchet.

Ratchet quickly glanced it over. He took a step back, nearly dropping the data-pad. He sat down on the medical berth, leaning foward and cradling his helm.

"Ratchet-"

"I know."Ratchet inturrupted. "First thing first, the others need to be told."

Optimus nodded. "Do you wish for them to be called in here?"

"I can manage going three steps to the hangar, thank you very much."Ratchet huffed.

He stood up with some difficulty, but unassisted. He was glad that the humans were still there, so he wouldn't have to repeat himself later. He stepped out into the main hangar, and glanced around at the beings around.

"Hey, what's up, doc?"Miko called up to the medic.

Jack and Raf both sighed at the cheesy line Miko incisted on usuing from time to time. Ratchet scoffed at the overused phrase as well.

"Ratchet, what's on your mind?"Arcee asked.

Ratchet vented for a second and pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor. "I...have something that you need to know. All of you."

June had joined the children by the edge of the perch. She had come along with Jack early that morning, and had helped out around the base quite a bit.

"What is it?"June questioned, leaning against the protective metal bar.

Optimus took a place next to Ratchet and placed a hand on his orange shoulder in comforting support.

"Optimus took a smaple of my energon, without my knowledge."Ratchet huffed.

"Ratchet."Optimus said in a lowered voice.

Ratchet vented again.

"Did he find something?"Arcee asked.

"Yes."Ratchet answered at long last. "He found an old condition. I had it as a youngling. Born with it, actually."

"It seems to have ressurfaced."Optimus continued. "A cybertronium defficiency."

"Optimus."Ratchet said."As you know about it..."

"Yes, Ratchet?"Optimus asked.

"I...need to lay down."Ratchet breathed out. "If you can handle explaining it...I-"

"Go lay down, old friend."Optimus answered.

Ratchet nodded before slowly, sheepishly leaving for his berthroom.

"So, what's wrong with him?"Bulkhead asked once the sound of Ratchet's berthroom door closing reached their audios.

"He has a cybertronium defficency. Like he stated, he was born with it."Optimus reinatated.

"What exactly does it do?"June asked."Can't he just take suppliments?"

"A cybertronium defficiency is very hard to explain by earth terms."Optimus said, thinking for a moment. "It is a lack of a certain, a very essential, mineral, called Cybertronium. It is one of the main life sources for all of our race, next to energon. WIthout it, a bot's health will slowly deteriate until he offlines from the lack of it."

"Isn't Cybertronium the one thing this planet has pleantly of?"Arcee asked, stating an obvious for the bots.

"Yes, but with this defficiency, it needs to be injected or injested."Optimus said."Breathing it in does little to no good, unlike a normal, healthy bot."

"So we get him Cybertronium. Big deal."Bulkhead said."Find a couple of the rocks and have the doc take 'em."

"That's easier said then done, Bulkhead."Optimus said."While Cybertronium may be pleantiful on this planet, it is hard to find. Also, I fear it may be too late for our medic."

"What do you mean?"Arcee asked.

"He should have never stopped the suppliments, no matter how hard they are to find." Optimus vented, now talking to himself more then the others. "He told me before that he had stopped long ago, but he never told me how long ago. He said that he had no symptoms, but that proved to merely be the calm before the storm."

/Storm?/Bumblebee whirred thoughtfully to himself./Don't worry, he'll get better. We'll get what he needs/

Optimus felt comforted by the youngling's words. "Thank you, Bee."

Bumblebee turned and buzzed to Raf before transforming. The young male got in after saying his farewells. Bulkhead soon followed his example, and then Arcee with June and Jack. Before leaving, June spoke to Optimus.

"Optimus."June started.

"Yes, Mrs. Darby?"Optimus turned towards the female human.

"I don't know much, if anything, about your biology."June said."But I ant to offer my help in any way possible."

Optimus gave a small nod of his helm. "Thank you, Mrs. Darby. Your help will be appreciated."

June then said good-bye to Optimus as she sat behind her son on Arcee, and held onto him. The three sped off of base. Optimus left the moniter for a moment and went to Ratchet's room. The door, surprisingly, was unlocked. A simple 'open' code let Optimus inside. The room was dark, but the light from the hall cast enough light for Optimus to see inside.

Ratchet was on his berth, deep in recharge. His hands were on his chest in a comfotable, resting position. The curled in an unatural, uncomfortable way though. Optimus put his own hand over them, and looked into the sleeping face.

"Ratchet, please."Optimus voice said softly."Allow you to help you. If not, your health will detoriote and we will lose you. I...will lose you. I don't...I don't think I would...be able to-to handle that."

Optimus vented as he continued to look at the closed optics, and the chest that rose and fell in recharge. He pat the curling hands before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Please, Ratchet."Optimus whispered in the dimly hit hall. "Get well."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_"Go on son, pick one out."Streetwise said._

_"Really?"Ratchet asked, optics wide. _

_He was equivallent to a twelve year old human, old enough for his first alt. mode. He and Orion Pax had become fast and good friends. They spent alot of their time together, visiting and playing often. _

_"Go on."Streetwise encouraged._

_Ratchet looked about the lot. There were tons of vehicles to be scanned. Ratchet saw emergency vehicals in the back, but decided that his sire wouldn't like him as an ambulance. Not yet anyways. Besides, he wasn't a medic, yet. He saw a sleek sportscar in the middle of the lot. He glanced over it._

_"Is-is this one all right?" Ratchet asked._

_"Looks good to me."Streetwise said."Scan it."_

_Ratchet nodded obediently. He focused hard for a moment, and a blue light emitted from his optics and went over the entire frame of the sportscar. The light ebbed away and Ratchet took a step back. Things like this were hard for him, and transforming would just be harder._

_"Did it work?"Ratchet asked._

_"One way to fond out."Streetwise announced, contracting himself into a sleek, shiney sportscar._

_Ratchet watched his sire before trying to mimic his movements. It took a few seconds longer, and a lot of concontration, but he managed._

_"Looking good."Streetwise said."Now take it easy. First time's all ways the hardest."_

_Ratchet would have nodded if he had been in robot mode. _

_"Give yourself just a little power."Streetwise said, slowly driving foward himself._

_Ratchet did so, and rolled foward slowly._

_"There ya' go."Streetwise encouraged."Now just a little bit more power."_

_Ratchet tried, and shot foward a few feet. A came to a sudden stop, afraid that he had donne wrong. Instead of shouts of anger or worry, the only thing that reached his audios were laughs. Ratchet started to chuckle himself._

_"Sorry."he giggled._

_"It's all right. Just a little to fast."Streetwise said."Ease up a bit, relax."_

_Streetwise started to drive up the road, and took a moment to focus before following. He wasn't going too fast, or too slow. Streetwise got to his side, and let Ratchet take the lead._

_"There ya' go!"Streetwise said."You're a natural."_

_Ratchet was so excited that he could barely speak. He drove ahead of his sire, going at just the right pace. Little did the happy sire and son know, that this would be one of their last moments together._

_Up ahead, an intoxicated mech drove up the road. Somewhere in his alchahol riddled processor, he found it a good idea to race up the street, on the wrong side of the road. Ratchet and Streetwise had no idea that this green and black mech would ruin not only this happy moment between sire and son, but the rest of their lives. _

_"Ratchet!"Streetwise shouted. "Look out!"_

_Ratchet screached as he slammed on the brakes, but the intoxicated drive continued to drive right at him. With a moments hesitation, Streetwise drove in front of Ratchet and took the blunt of the impact. _

_Ratchet remembered nothing but his sire's shouts, the sounds of impact, and the searing pain that forced him back to robot mode. He flew into the side of a building and fell to his side. He saw his father laying in the middle of the road, in robot mode, not moving. He saw the blurry figures of mechs and femmes coming out and surrounding Streetwise, blocking him from Ratchet's view. More mechs and femmes went around him, talking. Ratchet didn't hear a word from their mouths as he slipped out of conciousness._

_OoOoOoOoO_

_Ratchet shifted. He was sore, very sore. He slowly unshuttered his optics._

_"Ratchet?"a familiar femme voice asked._

_"Mom?"Ratchet mumbled._

_"Right here, sweetie."Nova said, taking her son's hand in her own._

_Ratchet moaned a bit as he opened his optics a bit more. He could see clearly now. He looked into his carrier's optics. They looked slightly swollen and bloodshot. There were obvious tear streakes on the side of her face._

_"What's wrong?"Ratchet asked._

_"Ratchet."Nova started, her voice trembling a bit._

_"Where's sire?"Ratchet asked._

_Nova hung her helm. Her intakes hitched a bit._

_"Carrier, where's Dad?"Ratchet asked again, looking at her hard._

_"Ratchet, he's-"_

_"That bad?"Ratchet asked with a little gasp."What are you doing with me? If he's hurt that bad, you should be with him."_

_"Ratchet, I can't go to him."Nova explained, looking up at him. Tears were slipping down her faceplates again. "He didn't make it. H-he didn't survive the crash."_

_Ratchet closed his optics and looked away. A few tears slipped down his faceplates._

_"Ratchet."Nova seemed to coo. She took his face in her hands and wiped away his tears. "It's going to be okay."_

_"I-it's all my fault!"Ratchet cried out. "H-he got in front of m-me."_

_"Ratchet, it's not your fault."Nova said. _

_"If I hadn't-"_

_"No."Nova said sternly. "What happened today was an accident. An accident that could have been avoided if common sense had been used."_

_Ratchet just nodded a bit. He couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened._

_"Ratchet."Nova said, even more sternly."Look at me."Ratchet did so, wiping away his tears."I want you to promice me something. Promice me that you will never, ever, overcharge on High Grade."_

_Ratchet nodded. "I won't even touch it!"_

_Nova shook her helm."High Grade is fine, if it is used responcibly. I don't want you to ever get drunk off of me that."_

_"Yes, ma'am."Ratchet answered._

_Nova nodded as she hugged him close. Both of them sharing a few tears at the loss of bondmate and sire._

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ratchet mumbled incoherantly as he sat up in his berth. It was about time for him to get up, give or take a few minutes. He groaned a bit as he got up, joints creaking and sending painful pulses in protest as he stood.

"Might as well go take a wash."Ratchet muttered to himself.

He hoped that a warm wash would help releve the pain and loosen him up enough to function. He tried to walk silently, not wanting to wake anybot up or alert them of his presence. He finally made it to the wash racks, and fumbled with the switch that turned on the water. His hands didn't want to comply at all. After many minutes of cursing under his breath and batting the switch around with his shot hands, he managed to turn it on.

With a relieved sigh, he stepped under the steady stream. He closed his optics, feeling the warm water run over his frame and under his armour. He opened them to try to turn up the temperature of the water, but a servere bout of vertigo hit him. He forced himself to sit down before he fell, and closed his optics to shut out the spinning room.

"Ratch?"a female voice drifted into the steamy room.

With an annoyed and rather silent growl, Ratchet scrambled to his pedes.

"What is it, Arcee?"he asked, not even bothering to cover up the agitation in his voice.

"Are you all right?"Arcee asked in try concern.

"I'm fine!"Ratchet exclaimed as he shut off the water, thankful that he could now move his hands."Just taking a quick shower, is that all right with you?"

Arcee rolled her optics."Just checkin, jeez."

Ratchet grumbled as he went into the main hangar and propped himself before the moniter. He had gotten himself a cube of energon on his way in, and now contentedly sipped on it as he went over the large computer screen.

"You are looking better today."Optimus voice came from behind him.

Ratchet vented out a bit. "I said I was fine, did I not?"

"None the less, we are currently looking for a Cybertronium deposit."Optimus said.

Ratchet just shrugged one of his shoulders before returning to the moniter. Soon Bumblebee made his way over to Ratchet.

/Hey, doc/Bee started./How ya' feelin'?/

With an audible growl. Ratchet turned to the yellow mech.

"I am fraggin' fine!"he all but screamed at the youngling.

Bumblebee took a step back in surprise./I-I didn't...Ratch-/

"Save it."Ratchet said,holding up his hand."I'm going for a drive."

"A drive?"Bulkhead asked."You?"

"Yes, me."Ratchet returned."Is that all right with everybody?"

A few helms nodded quickly, excluding Optimus who simply watched in silence. Without a word, although he grumbled a good deal under his breath, Ratchet transformed and took off through the entrance of the base.

"Slaggin' bunch of glitches."Ratchet mumbled to himself as he raced up the streets in a blind anger.

He didn't have his siren on though, or at least his flashing lights. An action he would later come to regret.

"Why can't they just leave me the frag alone?"Ratchet asked himself, turning down a street, paying no attention to his surroundings. He started to turn down a street. "I've been fine for this long, I'll be fine fo-"

His voice came to abrupt stop as he slammed on his breaks. He had come to a wooded area, but had not noticed that in turning he had overshot his course. A red minivan had been turning before Ratchet was, as he was quite far it had appeared. Both vehicals swerved to miss each other. Ratchet drove right into a large tree as the minivan slammed it's side into the stop sign.

Taking a few shakey intakes, Ratchet turned in his holoform and opened the door. A man and woman had gotten out of the minivan. The woman had slid open the side of the van, and was talking to whoever was inside.

"Is everyone all right?"Ratchet's voice came from the holoform.

His holoform as a man in his mid fortys, He had dark brown hair and sharp brown almost black eyes. It had a few bruises on it's arms and face, and had a large gash from his forehed to his cheek. It was portraying Ratchet's true injurys as the holoform was just a human projection of what he really looked like.

"Everyone here is fine."the man said."The name's Joe, and that's my wife Rebecca."

"I'm..."Ratchet hesitated."Richard."

'Richard' took a few steps towards the man. They were very limped and looked pained. He looked past Joe's shoulder and saw that there were children getting out of the minivan. Two small children, a boy and a girl about the ages of 5 and 3 were unbuckled from car seats as a female of about 14 got out of the back seat.

"Are the children all right?"Richard asked.

Rebecca nodded. "Just shaken."she answered. She looked hard at the man before her."You, on the other hand, don't look so well."

Richard held up a hand. "I'm fine. Shaken as well though."

"You're bleeding."Joe said, coming foward to try and wipe some of it away.

Richard ducked a bit. "Sorry, but don't do that."

Joe nodded. Rebecca looked at him harder."Are you sure you're all right, sir? You're awfully pale."

Richard nodded his head. In his true form, he had all ready sent out a distress signal to the Autobots, alerting them of his situation. He was simply trying to stall for time.

"Do you want me to check over your children, or yourselves?"Richard offered.

"We're all fine."Rebecca said."You really should clean that wound on your head though."

"I'm sure you have some supplies in your ambulance."Joe said, walking towards it.

"Um..."Richard started.

He couldn't let them go near the 'ambulance'. He really was bleading, but it was on the other side of his vehicle form. If Joe saw the blue liquid, he would start to ask question. Ratchet started to feel dizzy from the worry and stress on his systems. He had to stay absolutely still though, but moved his hologram about to keep himself busy.

"Hey, easy there."Joe said, taking a step towards Richard who had started to get paler and teeter about.

'Richard' flinched as Joe took his arm. Thankfuly, Ratchet's holoform was strong enough to be touched. Richard was forced to a sitting position as a semi drove up, followed by a minivan and a dark military looking van. A familiar male came out of the military van as an equally familiar female stepped out of the minivan.

"I am Agent William Fowler."the special agent said.

"Agent?"Joe asked."Like insurance agent? How did you even know about this? My wife and I haven't called yet, and Richard hasn't either."

"Er..."Fowler stumbled on his words a moment."The ambulance has a signal in it that if something happens to it, I'm aleted. It's automatic."

Joe and Rebecca looked at each other and the latter shruged. Fowler continued to talk to the couple.

"We have a rental here for you."Fowler said."June, can you give them the keys?"

"Here."June said, handing over the keys to the minivan.

As Agent Fowler helped the family get the children's car seats out of the first van and into the second, the semi's door opemed to reveal a tall and serious looking man in his late thirtys and early fortys. He quickly stepped down and went over to where 'Richard' was still sitting, and June was next to him.

"What happened?"Optimus' holoform asked.

"I had an accident."Ratchet returned, usuing his holoform.

"I can see that."Optimus' holoform said."How did it happen?"

"I wasn't paying attention."'Richard' answered. He sighed, shaking his head.

"You could have serverly hurt that family."Optimus deep voice continued to come form the holoform.

Agent Fowler wriggled about the back seat, trying to connect the last car seat into the back of the minivan.

"Sir, if you'd just allow me to-"

"I almost got it."Agent Fowler inturrupted Joe.

A loud click was heard. Agent Fowler smiled to himself as he got out of the car.

"It's all set."Agent Fowler said.

"Agent Fowler,"Rebecca started as she put the children in the car."Who is that man? The one who got out of the truck."

"That's O-...Oliver."Agent Fowler stumbled agian with his words."Yeah, Oliver. It's his brother."

"I see."Joe said."Thanks again for all that you've done."

"No problem. Just doing my job."Agent Fowler said."Now get goin'."

The family was now in the car, and Joe was rolling up the window. With a quick wave, the family was on the road again and driving away. Agent Fowler turned and walked back to the female and two 'males'.

"They're gone now."Agent Fowler said."You can turn off your person doohicky."

The two men dissapeared in a flicker. Optimus transformed quickly, straitening up and looking at the ambulance, that was still squished up against the tree, energon coming from the side of it.

"Ratchet, are you able to transform?"Optimus asked.

"Yeah, just...give me a minute."Ratchet said.

The sound of plates rearranging and moving started, stopped for a moment, and started again. Ratchet at last transformed and fell on his aft with an audible 'uph'.

"Now, will you kindly explain to me what in Sam Hill happened?"Agent Fowler asked, getting irritated now."That was a close call. Too close."

"I must agree with Agent Fowler. If you had been injured enough to be forced from alt. mode, your position would have been entirely compromised."Optimus said, his voice sounding grieved, scornful, and worried all at once.

"I know!"Ratchet groused.

Everything was starting to spin again. He didn't know if it was his 'condition' or the accident. All he knew was that he was getting moved. There was an almost blidning flash, and muffled voices. After awhile things started to clear up a bit. He started to take a deep breath, but it ended up as a pained hiss.

"I apologize, old friend."Optimus said.

Ratchet blinked a few times, trying to clear both his optics and his processor."What are you doing?"

"I was cleaning your wound."Optimus said, a slightly energon covered rag held in his hand. "Hold still."

Ratchet flinshed away as the rag was pressed to the gash on the side of his helm. Optimus had put some sort of antiseptic on it.

"All right!"Ratchet exclaimed."I think that's good enough."

"Ratchet-"Optimus started.

"It's fine."Ratchet said. He added a gruff 'thank you', before getting up.

"You should lay still and rest."Optimus said.

"What time is it?"Ratchet asked.

"Late."Optimus answered simply.

"Then I'll go to my room."Ratchet said, standing up.

Optimus vented as he watched the orange and white mech leave the room. He hadn't mentioned to Ratchet that his Cybertronium levels had nearly dropped to a fatal level. It didn't need to be said. Optimus knew that Ratchet knew.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Life only got harder for Ratchet and Nova. Nova had to get a job, that was absolutely necessary. That was also the easy part. There were many places looking for a strong, hard working femme. The hard part was Ratchet. Getting a job would mean having to put him in a public education center, or having to take him with her. Nova saw no other option but the first, even though both she and Ratchet hated the arrangement deep in their sparks. Orion's carrier changed that though. _

_Starfighter, a lemon yellow femme with silver highlights, had thought about home educating for awhile. She had discussed it with Nova, and had decided that it was something that she and Orion could and would do. Starfighter also had an idea. After discussing it with Nova, it was decided that Ratchet would still be educated at home. Orion's carrier had offered to teach him as well as her own son. After much persuasion, Nova had finally agreed._

_The two mechs did quite well with the new arrangements. Ratchet was able to help Starfighter with some of the things she needed to do and know to home educate, and Starfighter was able to make sure Ratchet took his medications._

_"Hurry up, Orion."Starfighter urged._

_"Yes, ma'am."Orion said, quickening his all ready fast pace. "Why are you in such a hurry?"_

_"Ratchet is alone at his house."Starfighter said._

_"He's fourteen solar cycles."Orion said."I'm twelve and that's not a problem."_

_"Ratchet is ill."Starfighter said._

_"Oh."Orion replied, understanding in his voice. "Is it catching?"he asked, even though he wasn't afraid of getting it._

_"No."his carrier said."It's not contagious."_

_"Okay."Orion answered as they neared the house._

_The reason they were walking was because their houses weren't that far apart. Another reason was that Orion didn't have his alt. mode yet, even though he should be getting it within the next few vorns. Starfighter opened the door and both entered the quiet house. _

_"Where's Ratchet?"Orion asked._

_"Most likely in his room."Starfighter answered."Why don't you go up and see him? I'll be up and check on the both of you later."_

_"All right."Orion said._

_He left and started to head up the stairs. He knew the way, having been to Ratchet's house many times before. He knocked on Ratchet's closed berthroom door._

_"It's open."a slightly raspy voice replied._

_"Hey, Ratch."Orion said."How ya' feeling?" he asked as he closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair from the desk._

_"I've been better."Ratchet said with a small chuckle and weak cough._

_Orion noticed that the room smelled of recently purged energon and there was a waste bin by the berth._

_"Didn't think you were coming today."Ratchet said._

_"Why wouldn't we?"Orion asked._

_Ratchet shrugged."Got better things to do then sparkling-sit a bot who's old enough to take care of himself."_

_"You're sick though."Orion protested._

_Ratchet shrugged again. When he had these lapses, his processor would get very foggy. He wouldn't be able to think straight, and would shrug as an answer for the things he couldn't fully process._

_"Did you skip your meds again?"Orion asked._

_"No."Ratchet said."Just get run down sometimes."_

_Orion noticed the look of pure exhaustion on his older friends face. He felt bad for Ratchet. Nothing ever seemed to be easy for him. Having an illness, his sire offlining...it just wasn't fair._

_"Why don't you go into recharge?"Orion suggested._

_"It's all right."Ratchet replied, his voice sounding tired and hollow though._

_"I have to study some."Orion said, taking a data-pad out of subspace._

_He really didn't have to study, he all ready knew the material. He just wanted his friend to get some rest, and not worry about leaving him alone._

_"All right."Ratchet said with an audible vent._

_Orion watched as Ratchet lay over on his side to go into recharge. He was out like a light in a few short decided that it wouldn't hurt any to go over the material in the data-pad again, and maybe even look ahead. He was studying about the great Primes of the past. A soft knock at the door tore Orion away from his book. Starfighter quietly walked in, and looked about the room._

_"It's been a few bleems."Starfighter said quietly. "I came to make sure the both of you were all right."_

_Orion nodded. "Ratchet fell asleep."_

_"Not anymore."came a groggy voice from the berth._

_"I'm sorry."Starfighter apologized."I didn't mean to wake you."_

_Ratchet shook his helm, regretting it instantly as it made his helm pound, the room spin, and his tank churn. He stopped quickly._

_"You didn't wake me."Ratchet replied._

_"Your carrier told me that you needed to take your suppliments."Starfighter said. "Do you want the pill or the injection."_

_Ratchet thought about it for a minute. Orion was completely shocked that Ratchet had to take shots on a regular basis. He hated shots himself, and was glad when immunizations were over. _

_"The shot?"Ratchet asked sheepishly. His tank was churning to much to drink the pill with energon._

_"All right."Starfighter said. "Where do you keep them?"_

_"The..."Ratchet stopped. He couldn't remember where he kept the medication. He knew that they were somewhere in the room,but couldn't remember exactly where._

_"It's all right."Starfighter said gently."Think, where do you usually keep them?"_

_"The...the-"Ratchet vented out in frustration. He quickly pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor."Desk!"_

_Starfighter opened the drawer to the desk quickly. The rattle of pills and the metallic clink of the shots sounded as it slid open. She picked up one of the shots and headed to Ratchet's berthside. She took Ratchet's servo and quickly took the cap off of the thrust the long slender needle into his servo. He couldn't help but flinch a bit as it entered his tubular vein._

_"Sorry."Starfighter said as she began to inject the liquid into his servo."Just a moment longer."_

_Ratchet nodded, his optic getting heavy. The pills would have simply given him the much needed boost of Cybertronium, but the injection would give him the boost and force him into a heavy recharge. Starfighter knew this, as Nova had informed her._

_"There."Starfighter announced, slipping the needle from his servo and wiping away a single drop of energon._

_"Th-thanks."Ratchet barely managed to say as he slumped against the back of the berth._

_Starfigter patted his servo as she lay it down. Ratchet's optics shuttered, and his helm fell to the side._

_"He must be tired."Orion mused as Startfighter disposed of the needle._

_"It was the injection. It put him out."Starfighter said."He'll be out for awhile, meanwhile, you had better have studied your material."_

_"I did."Orion said proudly._

_"Good."Nova said. "You have a test waiting for you on the downstairs table."_

_"Yes, ma'am."Orion said, getting up and heading down to take his test._

_Starfighter quickly covered Ratchet with a warming blanket before turning off the light and leaving the room. The door slowly closed, leaving the recharging mech alone._

OoOoOoOoO

"Ratchet."

"Mmm."

"Ratchet."

"What?"Ratchet asked in barely a whisper.

"Wake up, Ratchet."Optimus called out again.

"I'm up, I'm up."Ratchet mumbled."Why are you waking me?"

"You wouldn't wake up."Optimus said."I naturally assumed the worst."

Ratchet vented out in frustration.

"I apologize, old friend."Optimus said, now feeling remorse for having woken up his ailing friend.

"I understand."Ratchet waived the Prime off. "Just give me ten..."

"Ten what?"Optimus asked.

"Years."Ratchet finished his sentence.

Optimus lay a hand on Ratchet's shoulder. "Just rest, old friend. Get up when you are ready."

"If."Ratchet corrected. "If ready."

Optimus left the berthroom. He went to Bulkhead and Arcee, who were getting ready to go out.

"Were you able to wake him up?"Arcee asked.

Optimus nodded his helm in the positive. "He is very tired though, and decided to stay in his berth until he was able to get up."

"We were about to go scouting for Cybertronium again."Bulkhead said.

Optimus nodded his helm. "Thank you for your efforts. It means a lot to our medic, though he is not one to admit it."

"Hey, we get it."Bulkhead said."Doc likes to put on the tough guy act."

"Bulk, the sooner we start, the better."Arcee said, twirling her body into a motorcycle.

Bulkhead grunted in acknowledgement as he folded up into his all terrain vehicle and went off after the motorcycle, who had decided to take off ahead. Optimus and Bumblebee where alone on base with the sleeping medic.

Time seemed to crawl that day. Optimus was never too far from the moniter, just in case Bulkhead or Arcee called base because they had found the much needed Cybertronium. Bumblebee watched the Prime nervously, whishing that he could do something. The most he could do though was bring the CO a cube of energon and check on the medic from time to time, as the only other thing that would help both Optimus and Ratchet was the finding of Cybertromium.

After a few more hours, a shuffling was heard in the halls. Both scout and Prime turned to look and saw their medic stumbling into the main hangar.

/Ratch?/ Bumblebee whirred.

"Ratchet, what are you doing up? You need to rest."Optimus stated.

"It's past noon, Prime."Ratchet returned. "I've laid on my aft long enough."

Optimus vented deeply. There was still no point in arguing, but Ratchet was really pushing it. He could and was hurting himself.

"I can watch the moniters."Ratchet said.

Optimus nodded, but noticed that something was off with the medic's voice. It sounded off, but Optimus blamed that on the exhaustion.

"All right."Optimus agreed, as the monitor was one of the least taxing of jobs on base, though it was also the driest.

Optimus went to the back of the base, and went down to another level. Most levels of the base were deep into the ground. Optimus was looking for anything in storage that might help Ratchet. He shuffled through the dust and cobwebs, hearing the scuttling of rats and mice on the floor. They didn't bother him any though. He rummaged through crates and boxes, though his search seemed to be in vain. A frantic shout alerted him, and he quickly rushed up to the upper levels of base.

/Optimus!/Bumblebee called out again./Ratchet! He needs help!/

Optimus practically burst into the main hangar. Ratchet was doubled over, his hands clasped over his mouth in a curved fashion, He was coughing violently, choking and gasping for any air. Bumblebee was standing behind him, patting his back but looking frightened.

/Optimus!/Bumblebee said again,this time his beeps and whirrs sounded relieved. /I-I don't what to do/

"It's all right, Bumblebee."Optimus said calmly, as to not cause any more distress to either mech.

Optimus quickly went over to Ratchet's side as the white and orange mech began to fall forward. He supported him as Ratchet's coughs began to sound different. They became more hacking and wet.

"Easy, easy."Optimus said softly.

As if a switch had been thrown, Ratchet stopped coughing and gasped. He kept his hands over his mouth though started shaking, and shuttered his optics. Optimus let him go as Ratchet no longer leaned on him for support.

"Ratchet?"Optimus asked, feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Ratchet didn't answer him. He kept his hands over his mouth in a curved way and his optics remained shuttered. He took a few shaky ventilations. Optimus forced him to stand straight, manually moving the medic. Ratchet's servos trembled worse then his frame did, and his optics unshuttered to look into the Prime's. Optimus had never seen such fear or helplessness in anybot's optics before.

"Ratchet?"

A small blue drip oozed it's way out from between Ratchet's digits. Optimus held his vents as he slowly reached forward to remove the medic's hands from over his mouth. Ratchet shuttered his optics again as they were removed, and a splattering was heard.

"Ratchet."Optimus breathed out, his voice laced with sorrow and fear.

Ratchet opened his optics again and looked into his hands. They were stained and smeared with energon blood. A large amount of blood had fallen to the floor when his hands had been removed. Ratchet's intakes hitched in fear. Bumblebee remained still, too frightened to talk or move.

"It's all right."Optimus said, supporting the shaking mech again as he looked about to topple over.

"It won't be long now."Ratchet whispered before starting to choke and cough again, energon blood splattering to the floor as he hunched over.

A new, deadly, symptom had crept it's way into Ratchet.

_It won't be long now._

* * *

Author's Note- I LIVE! Yes, it's a fragging Primus blown miracle! Not only have I gotten my muse back for this story, but I am several chapters ahead! I finally figured out that this story will continue into Beast Hunters!

*weak cheering by two people*

Oh, well. Anyone still read/want to read this?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

_"Catch it!"_

_"I got it!"_

_"Nice catch, Ratch!"Orion complimented as Ratchet skillfully leapt into the air and caught the small white ball._

_"You ready, Orion?"Ratchet asked. "I'm going to throw this one hard."_

_"Give it your best shot."Orion called across the yard."I'll catch it."_

_"Okay, get ready!"Ratchet called out, winding up to throw the small white ball._

_Orion had always looked up to Ratchet. He always had good grades and was pretty good in sports. Ratchet was Orion Pax's role model, and he strived to be just like him. The ball whooshed towards Orion, and he caught it. The ball stung his hands a bit, but not enough to make him want to stop playing. _

_"Nice catch!"Ratchet encouraged._

_"It was a good through."Orion returned._

_"Puh-lease."Ratchet said, rolling his optics a bit. "It could have been better."_

_"I'm going to try a fast one now."Orion said._

_"All right."_

_The ball was tossed back and forth in this manner for quite some time. Starfighter and Nova were relaxing inside the house, enjoying a cool cube of sweetened energon and each others company on the warm summer day. School was out for now, and the young mechs were just playing a game of catch in Orion's back yard._

_"All right."Ratchet said, panting heavily now. "Get ready...for this one!"_

_"I'll catch it, just you watch."Orion said confidently, panting a bit himself._

_Ratchet pulled his servo back and threw the ball forward with all his might. It fell short by some feet and he fell to his knees._

_"Ratch!"Orion exclaimed, instantly forgetting the ball as Ratchet gasped for air._

_"I'm fine...I'm okay."Ratchet said breathlessly, waiving him off._

_"You don't look okay."Orion observed. "Come and sit down for a minute."_

_"Good idea."Ratchet panted._

_The two sat down next to the fence. Ratchet leaned up against it, shuttering his world was spinning and pitching violently, making him feel rather ill. He still could not catch his breath, and his hand twitched from time to time._

_"Ratchet, have you been-"_

_"Yes, Orion."Ratchet cut him off, rather sharply. "I've been skipping."_

_"Why?"Orion asked. "You always get sick when you skip you meds."_

_"I'm running low on them and was trying to save them."Ratchet explained, gasping harder._

_"Should I get your carrier?"Orion asked, getting rather worried. He had seen Ratchet at his best and his worse, but never had he been this bad. _

_"No."Ratchet said quickly."Just...give me a minute."_

_"Ratchet, you're shaking."Orion said as Ratchet shook hard and violently._

_Ratchet didn't answer. His shaking turned into jerks and convulsions. He fell to his side with a frantic yell as the convulsions picked up. He couldn't swallow, and frothed at the mouth. He could barely breathe, and everything was blurry. He felt really sick in his tank, and couldn't think straight or make out Orion's frantic voice._

_"Ratchet, what's going on?"Orion asked, shaking Ratchet a bit._

_Orion leapt to his pedes and ran into the house._

_"Carrier! Mom!"he cried out._

_"Orion?"Starfighter asked, rising. "Calm down, what is it?"_

_"I don't know! We were playing ball, and Ratchet fell-and then he couldn't catch his breath. He says he's been skipping and I made him sit down."Orion spoke at a frantic speed that would have made Blurr's helm whirl. "He's shaking, bad!"_

_Nova quickly ran out of the door and into the spark nearly stopped beating as she say her son convulsing on the ground. She had to remain calm though, for him. Quickly, she rushed to his side._

_"Ratchet, Ratchet it's me."Nova said as she took a needle out of subspace."It's all right, hold on."_

_She quickly thrust the needle into his servo, and released the liquid in. She waited a few seconds, waiting for the seizing to stop. Not only had he never had a seizure since he was little, he had never had a seizure like this. To her horror, it wasn't stopping either. It seemed, in fact, to become worse. She quickly tried to grab his pedes and servos, holding him tight._

_"Star!"Nova said in a voice that dripped with panic and fear. "He's not stopping."_

_"I'll call the paramedics."Starfighter said, trying to remain calm as she ran back into the house to call said bots._

_Ratchet's seizing became stronger and harder, his temperature spiking to dangerous levels. Nova was losing her grip on him, as well as the control over her emotion. Strong black hands covered her own pink and white ones._

_"He's going to hurt you."his rich, strong voice said. "You need to back away."_

_The speaker was none other then bondmate of Starfighter and sire to Orion. Setinel had been doing random things around the house while the femmes talked when he had heard the shouting. _

_Nova nodded, quickly sliding her hands out from under his. She was trembling from fear, and coolant blurred her vision. Orion had stood off to the side, frozen in shock at what he was was running back from the house._

_"They're on their way!"she called out before she even reached them._

_Ratchet had long since lost conciousness, and continued to spasm and convulse. The paramedics could not come soon enough, but all too soon the yard was filled with police cars, a fire engine, and two ambulances who each transformed and went to the seizing child. Setinel was relieved of his position as they crowded around Ratchet. One injected him with a thick, almost black serum while another held him down. Another commed the nearest hospital, alerting them of this emergency, while one of the larger ambulances transformed and a gurney was slid from his back. _

_Ratchet had stopped seizing now, and remained unnaturally still and quiet on the ground. He was quickly placed on the gurney and strapped down. He was pushed into the back of the larger ambulance, which took off with a blare of it's sirens and a rush of speed._

_"Ma'am." a rust red femme started, coming towards Nova. _

_Nova looked up at the other femme. Her optics were burning with fear, pure fear for her sons very life._

_"Just follow us, ma'am."the paramedic femme said, transforming. _

_She transformed into a police car, and her own sirens blasted as she began to escort Nova towards the hospital. Setinel, Starfighter, and Orion followed to offer both comfort and support to Nova. They were showed into a waiting room. As soon as she sat down, Nova burst into tears, burying her face in her hands as sobs racked her entire frame. Starfighter quickly sat down next to her, and wrapped her servos around Nova's shoulders._

_"It's going to be all right."she whispered to the white and pink femme. _

_Nova just shook her helm, to scared to believe it. She felt as if she had been thrown into a swirling, black vortex with no way out. She was at the very mercy of Primus himself, and inwardly cried out to him. _

_OoOOOoOoOoO_

_The ambulance that had carried Ratchet had driven right through the emergency entrance. Doctors and nurses had relieved him of his patient, who was beginning to seize and convulse again. _

_"Nurse, we need a neutralizer, STAT."a red and brown medic ordered._

_I.V.'s and medical drips of all sorts were placed in his servos and the top of his hand. A clip was placed on his digit, and a large dose of Cybertronium was slowly pumped into him. Ratchet had remained unconscious the entire time, and now became even more still as his ventilations came to a halt._

_"Nurse-"_

_"Got it, doctor."the nurse replied, pulling tubes out of a drawer. _

_A thin tube was gently guided up his olfactory sensors. A larger, thicker tube slowly began to make it's way down his throat. His body tried to rid him of it, even in his comatose state. Though he gagged a bit, the tube was at last in him and his ventilations resumed._

_The doctors and nurses continued their administrations, until they were confident that he was stabilizing. A schedule was quickly created, and one of the doctors left to speak with the young patients carrier. He took a vent before entering. He knocked twice, and four bots rose from their seats. It was quite easy to tell who was the carrier. She had coolant trails down her faceplates and looked like a wreck. He had to check though, just to make sure._

_"Are you the patient's carrier?"the doctor asked._

_He was answered by quick nods._

_"I am Dr. Hard Drive. I have some news concerning your son. You may want to sit down."_

_The look on her face ripped Hard Drive's spark in two. This was one of the drawbacks of working in ER and ICU, the bad news. Nova took a seat, her optics pleading up to him for any sort of news._

_"Ratchet is very sick right now."Hard Drive said, trying to tell this as tactfully as he could without 'beating around the bush'."His processor was damaged do to the seizing."_

_A small choke came from the pink and white femme. "Will he...be all right?"_

_"It didn't harm his learning center of his processor."Hard Drive said quickly."In fact, only a small part of his processor was harmed."_

_Those words were meant to be comforting, but how comforting was it to tell someone that their child was injured to this extent._

_"So...what happened?"Nova asked slowly, dreading the answer._

_"The part of his processor that was damaged was the section that involves motor skills."Hard Drive said. "Right now, he was very little control over anything. With time and therapy, he will most likely gain back most of his strength and control back."_

_"Most?"Nova asked, coolant blinding her as it slid and fell off of her cheek in shimmering drops._

_"I'm sorry, ma'am."Hard Drive said in a low tone._

_"C-can I see him?"Nova choked out._

_"Yes. A nurse will show you to his room."Hard Drive said, having rounds to make. "I'm sorry I could not have better news. You may see him when you're ready."_

_With that, the doctor found that the most appropriate time to leave. Nova buried her face in her hands again as she burst out crying a second time. Both Starfighter and Setinel tried to console her, although the both knew that they would be spark broken if they had been in her place. A nurse soon entered and showed them to Ratchet's room in the Intensive Care Unit. _

_Nova took a deep vent before opening the door. The beeps of multiple monitors greeted them, as well as a deep and loud breathy noise. Nova clasped a hand over her mouth and took a step back as she looked over her son from the doorway._

_He still had the multiple I.V. drips, plus some. The clip on his digit connected to multiple monitors that beeped steadily. The breathy, whooshing noise came from the breathing tube as he ventilated slowly. He was covered with a warming blanket, and his servos were folded on top of it._

_"It'll be all right."Starfighter whispered to her._

_Above all the beeps of the moniter, and the loud vents of the tube, Ratchet had heard the barely audible slowly turned his helm to see his carrier, his best friend, and his best friend's creators standing in the open door way. He tried to smile a bit, but was too weak and the breathing tube wiped it out. His optics shone a bit._

_"Ratchet."Nova said in a low, cracked voice as she slowly went over to the berth._

_Ratchet made no motion or movement. He simply looked at her, his optics following her every movement. She took his hand gently, trying not to disturb the wires and needles sticking out from random areas of his servos. _

_"You'll be all right."she whispered._

_Ratchet head a movement at the foot of the berth. He slowly moved his helm to see Orion and his creators._

_"Hey, Ratch."Orion said, a bit sheepishly as he didn't know what to say. "How you feeling?"_

_One of Ratchet's hands lifted a bit before falling back to it's original place, a sorry excuse for a shrug. Orion nodded, now out of things to say. Nova rubbed Ratchet's curled hands a bit, to comfort both of them. The steady motion and the soothing sound of Nova patting and rubbing Ratchet's hand while they rested over his covered stomach area made the young mech drowsy. His optics became half shuttered as recharge began to claim him. _

_"We should probably get going."Setinel whispered to his bondmate._

_She nodded back and nudged Orion, telling him that it was time to go. _

_"Hey, Ratchet?"Orion said slowly._

_The half shuttered optics widened a bit and focused on the other young mech in the room._

_"We've gotta go now."Orion said. "Maybe I can come visit you tomorrow?"_

_Ratchet gave a slight nod of his helm, jarring the breathing tube slightly. He tried not to choke, and took a few calming vents that filled the entire room._

_"Feel better."Setinel said as he led his family out of the room._

_Starfighter went over to Nova quickly, and gave her a quick and meaningful hug._

_"Don't worry."she said softly."Both of you will get though this."_

_Ratchet could no longer stay awake and slipped into recharge before Orion and his creators had left the room._

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Ratchet, what are you doing up?"

"I'm fine, Optimus."Ratchet argued.

"You need to be resting."Optimus returned.

"I'm up, and I am not going to lay back down."Ratchet said firmly, crossing his servos across his chassis. A loud beeping came from the monitor. "Besides, we have energon on the move."

Optimus vented. Ratchet was all ready typing in the ground bridge coordinates with his shot hands. Optimus recruited Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee, as there were quite a few signals and not one solider could be spared.

"Autobots, roll out."Optimus rumbled as he transformed into a semi.

Bulkhead transformed into an all terrain vehicle, Arcee her motorcycle form, and Bumblebee the sleek Urbana 500. They quickly drove through the bridge, it dissapearing behind them. There were taken to the entrance of a cave, that was filled with Eradicons mining some black material.

"Optimus."Arcee whispered, pointing at crates of the black rocks."That's Cybertronium."

Optimus looked it over and nodded. Each bot wanted to take handfuls of it and subspace it for the medic back at base, but the rocks were too large for them to subspace. To get it, they would have to claim the cave as a spoil of war. A plan was beginning to be formulated as Bumblebee went closer to the cave, bending down to inspeact something. A shout cut them all short.

"Autobots! Autobots are here!"a Decepticon miner cried out, jumping from his large drill and running deeper into the cave.

Shots began to ring out around them, photon charges getting dangerously close to yellow, blue, green, and red frames. The four Autobots began to fight bravely, dodging laser blasts and returning their own. Many Deceptcon warriors fell and the servant class Decepticons stayed hidden in the cave, as they had no weapons to fight with. A feminine cry of surprise came from behind Optimus, and he turned to see what had happened.

Arcee continued to shoot, though her blasts were a bit scattered and off target. She held up her blaster arm with her other servo. Energon leaked from the top of her blaster servo, siphoning the power to her cannon. After five shots, her blaster gave out and would no longer fire.

"Scrap."she muttered, gritting her denta in pain.

"Arcee, fall back into the forset."Optimus called out to her."Comm. Ratchet."

Arcee muttered as she went into the woods for protection. There was no point in arguing, as long as she was defenceless she was a liability. She quickly commed the medic and shut off her comm. link before he could begin to rant and lecture. A bridge opened and closed, and a very unhappy Ratchet went towards Arcee. The sounds of battle continued.

"Let me see."Ratchet ordered, his voice small amongst the photon charges and laser blasts just the other side or that brush.

Arcee sat down and let Ratchet inspect her injury.

"You're lucky."he muttered as he transformed his blow torch out. "It's mainly superficial."

Arcee nodded as Ratchet began to weld the opening closed. It hurt, and she hissed once as a sensitive area was touched. She turned to glare at the medic, but stopped. Ratchet was breathing heavily and his servos were shaking, though he was struggling to keep them still. Condensation, a Cybertronian's equivalent of sweat, poured mercilessly from him. He used his shoulder to briskly wipe the side of his face as a large trickle fell down.

"Ratchet, are you all right?"Arcee asked.

"Don't move."Ratchet ordered. He could barely control the shaking of his hands, and did not want to accidentally hurt Arcee.

He vented out, using his non-transformed hand to mop his forehelm. He had remained unusually silent, not even lecturing her for getting injured. His blow torch melted the metal of her frame back together in a slightly wavered pattern. At last, the hole was closed and the energon flow had long since stopped. Arcee powered up her cannon, the energy freely flowing to it now. Arcee quickly rose to go join the battle again, only to see the last of the Decepticons fall. She was a bit disappointed that she had missed the battle, but the fall of the final Con meant that the Cybertronium deposit was theirs. She turned to the medic again, only to find him nearly doubled over and gasping for vents.

"Ratchet!"Arcee exclaimed, gaining the attention of the others.

"I-I'm fine."Ratchet removed one of his hands from his knees to wave her off. He teetered a moment. "Just...let me..sit down."Ratchet said, trying to place his hand on a tree for extra support.

He never made it to that pine. He fell down heavily, shaking worse and worse. His shaking, though, was not simple trembling. Instead, it was the vicious and convulsed jerks of a seizure. He shouted as he lost complete control.

"Hold him down."Optimus ordered, pinning down the medic's chassis and pedes.

Bulkhead grabbed one of his pedes and Bumblebee the other. Arcee was about to join Bumblebee, who was struggling to keep the kicking pede down, when a noise overhead made her look up.

"Scrap."she cussed.

Five flyers loomed overhead, led by an all too familiar jet. Optimus grumbled something inaudible as the five flyers and Megatron landed before the cave. Megatron walked up to the mouth of it, and called in.

"I know that you are in there, Prime!"he shouted, his deep voice echoing off the walls of the cave and amplifying it so that even the hidden Autobots could hear it. "Come out and face me!"

"He doesn't know where here."Arcee said, her voice a whisper.

Ratchet was beginning to lose conciousness as his seizing became worse.

"Arcee, open the bridge."Optimus ordered, his voice low as well even as he struggled to hold the convulsing mech.

Arcee nodded, picking up a remote Ratchet had set down when he had exited the bridge. She began to type in the coordinates to base. Ratchet's optics suddenly flew open, jerking even more violently. Bumblebee lost his hold and was kicked back by Ratchet, leaving a dent in his chassis. Bulkhead tried to grab onto it, only to lose his hold as well. The sudden release of both his pedes gave Ratchet's frame the ability to kick and convulse more freely, scaring the medic. He cried out, alerting the Decepticons of their presence.

"Over there, sir." a Eradicon pointed his slender finger towards the brush, where Optimus Prime was not that well hid.

"Hiding, Prime?"Megatron asked, very amused.

A swirl of blue, green, and white illuminated and reflected off of leaves as the grind bridge whirled open. Optimus scooped up Ratchet with no second thought and much difficulty. Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee stood around the bridge, shooting at the Eradicons that had begun to fire on them. One by one they ran through the bridge after their leader. It swirled shut behind them, disappearing in mid-air.

"What do you make of that?"one Eradicon asked another.

The second Eradicon shrugged, his body language showing more then his visored face ever could.

OoOoOoOoO

Another shout, one of pure fear and pain. Ratchet was strapped down to the medical berth, fighting against them as he convulsed. His seizure had now continued for a matter of ten minutes. Optimus was going through Ratchet's immaculate drawers and cupboards, messing them up in his haste. A large, pre-filled and labeled needle was lifted out, and the cap removed. Without hesitation, it was thrust into a wire in Ratchet's side, where the least amount of movement was. The seizing slowed down until it came to an almost complete stop. Ratchet's optics dimmed and offlined, followed by them shuttering and his helm falling to the side.

"What was that?"Bulkhead asked, motioning towards the needle tossed into a waste bin.

"A seizure medication."Optimus answered.

Bumblebee shifted as he looked nervously at the medic that had kicked him. He still had a dent in his chassis, but it was so small it was barely noticable and should spring out on it's own with time. As he walked towards the unconscious medic, he rattled.

"Bee, are you all right?"Arcee asked. "Did he kick you hard enough to injure you?"

Bumblebee whirred and beeped, shaking his helm and hands in the negative. He walked, still rattling, over to the desk and opened up his subspace. He reached in and pulled out three handfuls of large rocks. The clattered and rolled about as they landed in a small heap.

"Bee, you're a hero!"Bulkhead exclaimed, slapping Bumblebee rather roughly but good naturedly on the back.

"How did you get it?"Arcee asked, looking as excited as the ex-wrecker but able to contain it better.

/There were little bits of it at the mouth of the cave/ Bee answered. /I just grabbed a few handfuls before that slagging Con saw me/

"Bumblebee, you did a very good thing."Optimus complimented, picking up one of the black rocks. "This Cybertronium will help him until a new source is found."

* * *

Author's Note- See, told ya I had another chapter! I will be a bit slow in this story, due to _To The Death _and _A Prime Problem_, but those storied are nearly finished!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

_Too slow. _

_Much too slow._

_Way to slow._

_It just wasn't fair! Ratchet looked out his berthroom window to see nothing but younglings going about their days, laughing and playing in the warm air. It had taken so long to get back here, back home. Countess hours of physical therapy, medications. It made him wonder if it was all really worth it. Was it worth all this time, wasted on him. He could still barely type in an access code to a door!_

_A soft knock at his door caused him to start a bit and look towards it. It slid open._

_"Can I come in?"_

_"Anytime, Orion." Ratchet returned._

_"How are you feeling?" Orion asked, slipping into the room as the door closed automatically._

_Did everyone have to ask him that? "Fine, how about you?" he asked sarcastically._

_Orion couldn't hold back a roll of his optics. "Just fine, smartaft."_

_Ratchet snorted once. He looked back out the window to see a group off younglings going off to the playground, bouncing a bright orange ball between them. Orion looked at him, trying to hide the pity he couldn't help but feel._

_"Hey." Orion started. "Do you...wanna go out?"_

_Ratchet vented. "To do what?"_

_Orion shrugged a shoulder. "We could do something...play catch?"_

_Ratchet felt a twinge of jealousy pinch his spark. Orion was very good at sports, and loved to play them as well. He was fast, agile, smart, attentive, and had great hand-optic coordination. Ratchet, on the other hand, had always been rather sucky at them. _

_"I guess." he agreed, only to please Orion._

_Orion sprang from his seat like the eager youngling he was. He soon had Ratchet out in the warm sunshine and light breeze. _

_"You ready?" Orion called out, winding up for his pitch._

_"Throw it." Ratchet called back._

_The ball left Orion's hand in perfect formation. It was neither too fast, nor too slow. It's path could have been measured by a astro-yard stick and come out perfectly straight. It's path was perfectly aimed right at Ratchet._

_Ratchet mentally prepared himself as he saw the ball fly towards him. It was a bit high, so a jump would be needed. He crouched and sprang up, ready for it._

_Orion watched as his friend leapt for the ball that had all ready cleared his helm. In the time it had taken him to figure out he had to jump, the ball had hit the fence post right behind him._

_"Scrap." Ratchet growled under his breath as he bent down to pick up the ball. Just his luck, it decided to slip between his fingers again, making him stumble for it a few times._

_"Throw it back." Orion encouraged._

_Ratchet summed up everything in him, just to throw the ball. It flew from his white digits, and looked pretty good to him. Well, it did until it hit the ground not even half way to the red and blue youngling a few yards away. It bounced once or twice before weakly rolling towards Orion, who easily scooped it up._

_"Not bad." Orion tried to say, only to be stopped by a loud snort._

_"Are you kidding me? I've seen sparklings throw things better then that!" Ratchet exclaimed, dejectedly kicking at a pebble. _

_"Ratchet-"_

_"No." Ratchet stopped Orion, jerking his servo away from the gentle hand. "Just, leave it."_

_Orion's spark sank as he watched the orange and white mech slump and find his way to a back porch step. He sat down on it, his forehelm in his hands. Orion did the only thing he could possibly think of doing._

_He dropped the ball and took a seat next to Ratchet, laying a hand on his shoulder plating, speaking not a word._

OoOoOoOoOoO

With a heavy groan, Ratchet felt himself onlining. He also felt pain. A lot of it. It felt like every part of his body had been bent in ways he wasn't supposed to. His hands curled uselessly in their places, too shot and sore to be moved any. He slowly tried to rise, even before onlining his optics.

He found himself unable to move. He began to feel panic bubble in his spark as his first thoughts were of paralyzation . His optics snapped on and open as he frantically tried to push himself up.

"Ratchet, be still." Optimus said gently from a seat he occupied close to the berth. "You are strapped down."

Ratchet's vents shuddered in relief. Optimus easily undid the restraints, taking with it a load of fear from the medic. He tried to rise again, only to find himself unable to from his weakened state.

"Stay down, old friend." Optimus continued, going into a cupboard.

"What happened?" Ratchet breathed out tiredly.

"You had a seizure. The first in a long time." Optimus answered.

Ratchet vented tiredly, wishing that he would just shut down into recharge, or a stasis.

"Do you feel you could drink something?" Optimus asked, finding the cube of low grade he had been looking for.

Ratchet shook his helm, sick to his tanks. Optimus had expected that, having dealt with Ratchet's seizing before. He was always queasy after them. The cube of low grade energon was left out on the counter. In its place, a vial with a dark blueish green liquid sloshed and bubbled in it. It was only filled half way, if that.

"Optimus, is that-"

"Cybertronium." Optimus answered. "Bumblebee was able to obtain a bit of it from the caves."

Ratchet vented, disappointment in his optics. This dose would help, hold of the most likely inevitable, but was more of a tease. Like holding a big bag of energon sweets before a hungry youngling, but only giving him the smallest of tastes.

Optimus silently reached out for Ratchet's servo, said mech readily letting him take it. It was like dead wight in his hand. WIth on clean, fluid motion, the bent top of the vial was jabbed into the white and orange servo.

Ratchet gasped and his servo twitched a bit in Optimus' hand once as the white hot pain spread through his servo. It had been so long since he had felt Cybertronium flow through his veins, he had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Fire, traveling up and down him until his frame regulated it.

Optimus took his hand, holding it firm and steady as Ratchet held back shouts. His optics were shuttered tight, and his denta crushed firmly together as he hissed out from time to time. Finally, he sighed out heavily, the Cybertronium finally regulated.

The relief was nearly instant. The aches and pain in his frame slowly ebbed down to moderate levels. His tightly curled hands relaxed a bit, enough for him to open and close them a few times to fully loosen the joints.

Ratchet was suddenly reminded of something else that came with a Cybertronium _injection_. It was putting him to sleep.

"Rest, Ratchet." Optimus said as the medic's optics fought to stay open.

The fight was downhill, and quickly finished. Ratchet was forced into recharge within the minute, venting out slowly as his frame loosened and his helm lolled a bit to the side. Optimus vented a bit himself as he rose to his pedes. Something heavy had been placed on him lately, and sadly, a heavy burden would be placed on another.

OoOoOoOoO

Another argument had broken out. It continued on and on, echoing through the halls of the base. Instead of a calm, strong, baritone voice following to smother it, cold silence and more shouting filled Optimus' void.

He had been gone for nearly a month now. An entire month without their leader. Fight and fight, argument after argument would rise up _because_ of the fact Optimus wasn't there.

As if that wasn't enough, the fact that they were falling apart without their leader, the Cybertronium Bumblebee had been able to snag had been a bit more then a tease. It had been pure torture. It had helped for a bit, but the moment it had worn off had resulted in yet another seizure.

He'd had a few since Optimus had unintentionally joined the Decepticons. Three, to be exact. They varied from time to time, some being quick and easily taken under control, while others became so bad that Ratchet was out for a few days.

He was beginning to learn the symptoms preparing him for a seizure. He would become light-helmed and dizzy. He would get this terrible, heavy, leaden feeling in the pit of his tank and a weakness in his knee joints. He would try and sit down before he collapsed into a spazaming heap on the floor, but didn't always make it to a seat in time.

He was beginning to feel that way now.

_No, not now. Please, not now._ He pleaded to nothing in particular.

It felt, different, though. His throat hurt as if he was being stung in it. It _burned_. He felt something bubbling in the back of his throat, slowly pushing it's way up. He swallowed, trying to push it back down. He swore, it became angry and lashed out at him.

Arcee turned as a strange, sputtering noise came from behind her. She had been still brooding, angry thoughts swimming through her processor, when her silent bitching became interrupted by the sound of somebody sneezing, snorting, choking, coughing and gagging all at the same time.

"Ratchet?"

Said mech repeated the noise, followed by a gasping shout. Arcee was next to him in an instant as he started to shake, and leaned forward. To her utmost shock and horror, blue energon was leaking-no, pouring- from his olfactory sensors, mouth, and optics and pooling at his pedes. He choked and gagged, the energon blood splattering out again.

Being much bigger then the femme, she wasn't able to support him as his pedes gave out from beneath him, and he clattered to the floor.

"What the frag's going on in here?" Bulkhead asked, coming from the hallway hurriedly.

"Hold him down." Arcee ordered sharply as Ratchet began to seize, making his total times four now.

Bulkhead easily pinned him down, until he saw the blood pouring from the medic's face. His grip loosened too much, giving Ratchet way too much wriggle room. His entire frame spasmed out and he shouted in pain and fear as his processor broke down, leaving him less then helpless.

"Bulkhead!" Arcee snapped, snapping the bulky wrecker out of his stupor and getting him back onto his task.

"He's choking." Bulkhead said, his frantic tone not helping the situation any.

"Turn him over, but keep his servos pinned." Arcee answered, trying to remain calm himself.

/ What can I do?/ a rather scared voice asked from behind, the blue energon finding it's way to his yellow pede.

"Get June." Arcee ordered as Ratchet shouted again.

Bumblebee nodded hurriedly and warbled something as he transformed and zipped from the base. He raced as fast as he could up the semi-familiar rode, up to the only house on that block he knew. He beeped loudly, flashing his headlights at the darkened windows. Come to think of it, everything was dark. Oh, no. What if she was asleep? What if she was at the hospital still?

All fear left him as a light snapped on in one room, and worked it's way down to the front of the house. The door squeaked open, and a tired looking woman stepped out. Her ponytail was a bit messy, and she wore soft pink sweat pants and a white T-shirt.

"Bumblebee?" June asked, pulling a few snarls out of the end of her ponytale with her fingers. "What are you doing here? It's 11 at night."

He started to frantically buzz and warble, explaining everything. The look on her face though, one of confusion and pity, made him stop. He vented heavily, his engine growling in anger and desperation.

Before June could comfort him, her cell phone began to ring a pre-loaded tune. She opened it with a sigh.

"Who could be calling at this-"

' It's Ratchet'

"Are you texting me?" June asked.

Bumblebee honked twice, not caring that two houses had turned on their lights.

"You might want to keep it down." June suggested. "What's wrong with Ratchet?"

'U gotta come help him! He's sick. Shaking. Plz, plz help!'

"I will." June reassured him. "Will you take me to him?"

No text was needed as he beeped hurriedly and threw open the driver's seat door. She slipped in without a moments hesitation, in nothing more then her pj's and white sneakers. She didn't have time to write Jack (who slept like a rock) a note, but would send him a text later.

Bumblebee pushed the speed limits, going nearly ten MPH's over every limit. His driving was a bit sporadic though, due to stress. A soft warble that June knew was no word came from him, and a breathy sound came from his engine every so often.

"Bee, you need to calm down." June said gently, leaning over to pat the dashboard.

A mournful beep came from him in return.

"Bee, there won't be time to tell me what happened when I get there. I need you to tell me everything that happened." June said, trying to keep him calm by giving him a task.

The little screen that she had assumed was a built in GPS cleared of everything, bringing up a blank screen. A little line flashed in one spot near the upper left corner. Letters began to fill the screen, as fast as he dared for June to read.

'He was coughing and shaking when I left'

"Shaking, like he was cold or like spasms?" June asked.

'He's been having seizures' Bee wrote. 'I think he was having one'

"Okay." June said, her mind trying to wrap around the fact that she was about to play nursemaid to a giant, alien robot. And a medic, at that.

'He...' three dots came up as he stopped writing, the little line blinking once again. His intakes hitched again.

"Hey, it's okay." June comforted, rubbing his dashboard a bit with her flattened hand.

The windshield wipers started to go back and forth. Was he trying to signal her. The intakes hitched again, and light blue-nearly white- liquid rolled down the windshield. Then it dawned on June.

He was crying. He was crying, and trying to hide the tears by wiping them away quickly. His windshield was going as fast as if they were in a heavy storm, though, and the entire windshield was streaked with the sticky coolant.

"It's okay. I promise, everything will be okay." June said in a gentle voice.

'He was bleeding! From his optics, and nose, and mouth! :(' Bee wrote on the screen.

June tried not to laugh at the little face he drew, being the subject was serious. "Has this happened before?"

'No! Arcee told me to get you since Optimus isn't there. I don't think they know what to do, either.'

June nodded as the familiar rock structure loomed ahead of them. Bumblebee put on an extra burst of speed for the final stretch, easily breaking the set speed limit by over 20 MPH.

/I got her!/ Bumblebee exclaimed as he let out his only passenger and transformed to his full height.

He was answered by a near scream. June flinched slightly, but was unfazed as she hurried up to the platform to get a better look. The first thing she took in was the multiple shades of blue that coated the floor. From where it was coming out, it looked like a blue period of vomit, snot, tears, and urine. As it turned out, it was blood and lubricants.

His seizure was beginning to lessen, but not enough. Bulkhead was still holding him still as his frame tried to trash about.

"Tak-take it off! Take it...off!" Ratchet shouted, clawing weakly and spased at his servos.

"Take what off?" Arcee asked, her voice tired and worried.

"Please!" Ratchet cried out, choking as the energon blood clogged every way he had of venting, and spurted out of him.

Ratchet continued to scream out and claw at his servos, pleading for it to be taken off.

"His armour." June stated. "He wants it off."

Arcee waisted no time in unlatching the bulky, white and orange pieces, They were tossed aside with resounding clanks. She could feel the heat radiating from the medic, nearly burning her just by being close to her. Bulkhead had heat blisters on his servos as he tried to pin Ratchet down.

A strangled choke escaped Ratchet's vocalizer as the blood continued to flow from his facial extremities.

"Bulkhead, flip him almost completely over, but keep him off the ground." June ordered. "Arcee, hold up his head."

No sooner had they been arranged properly, a gush of blood rushed out. It had to have been building up, as it continued to ooze out long after he had stopped coughing. A low moan escaped him as a wave of pain enveloped him, again.

"Bumblebee." June turned to the wide opticed youngling. "Do you know if Ratchet has any blood thickeners?"

June didn't need a translator to discover that Bumblebee had no clue about the med-bay.

"Everything's marked, Bee." Arcee said sharply. "It should be in the top drawer."

Bumblebee frantically nodded and scurried away. He rummaged through the drawers, hearing Ratchet reprimanding him for messing up his perfectly organized items. He finally saw something that looked like it could be right, but he wasn't sure. He grabbed it anyways and grabbed the syringe as well.

/I got it! I think/ he stated.

Ratchet was shouting again as his entire frame seemed to blossom with the white hot burning feeling.

"Give it here." Arcee demanded, snatching the instrument and vial from the youngling.

A quick glance told her that she wasn't going to have to go back and get it herself. The liquid was sucked into the syringe, and quickly jabbed into the medic. He continued to shout and spasm, but the bleeding from his optics and olfactorys thankfully stopped after a few minutes.

With that said, it still didn't seem to help Ratchet anything. It felt like that time when he was still green in the Autobots and had stepped on a landmine. A hot, explosive pain that erupted everywhere at the same time.

"Su-sudate me!" Ratchet cried out. "Please, knock-knock me o-out!"

Heads turned to look at June. She hesitated a moment, not waning to make Ratchet worse by giving him an injection his pain riddled processor had deemed safe. As his screams and keens continued, though, she nodded her head.

Bee sprinted to the med-bay again as the shouts changed.

"Make it stop." Ratchet pleaded, his voice seeming on the verge of sobs and his voice strangely low. "Kill me."

"Ratch, now you don't want that-"

"Please." Ratchet begged the blue femme. "Please. Please, make it stop."

"It will, I promise." Arcee said gently. "Just as soon as Bumblebee gets back with your medicine."

"Too long. No point." Ratchet gasped as another bout of pain racked his frame. "Just end it!"

/ Here / Bumblebee said hurriedly as he raced back.

Without even looking, Arcee went to jab him. He started shouting again, thrashing against Bulkhead as his blurred optics whited out in pain.

"Frag." Arcee growled. "He's moving too much."

His frame was too exhausted to continue on like this. Everything hurt, now nonstop instead of on and off pulses. He couldn't see, his olfactories were clogged, and nothing was helping.

"Now." Bulkhead ordered, grabbing Ratchet's helm a bit with a free hand to hold him still.

Arcee jabbed him with the tranquilizer. Ratchet yelped at the sudden prick, and his frame begin to seize up again. He grit his denta and prepared for it. Instead, a soothing warmth spread through his frame, starting from his neck and going every way. His optics became heavy, his frame like lead. He fell limp with an exvent, optics shuttering in a painfree moment.

June sighed out in relief. She'd seen plenty of seizures at the ER, this being within the top five.

"Bulkhead, you can let go of him now." June stated, seeing the wrecker still cradling the medic with a tight grip.

Two blue optics, filled with uncertainty, tuned to look at her.

"It's all right." June said gently. "I don't think he'll start seizing again."

Bulkhead vented out as he loosened his grip, allowing the medic to slowly slip to the floor. June looked firmly at his green servos. The paint was charred black in a few areas, bubbled in others, and were blistered all over.

"You have burns all over your arms." June said loudly to the mech.

"I-uh." Bulkhead stammered. "I'm fine. I'll take care of it later. Gotta take care of the doc now."

June nodded. "Can you get him into one of the medical beds?"

"Yes, ma'am." Bulkhead nodded.

He knelt down again next to the limp white and orange frame. He hesitated as he tried to find a way to lift him without hurting either the medic or himself more. He vouched for a bridal-style, Ratchet's helm resting weakly on his shoulder strut and pedes and servos hanging downwards with gravity.

Ratchet's helm lolled back as he was lowered onto a berth, his gray protoform still a bit too hot for armour to be replaced. Arcee was quick with the monitors, and an all too familiar beeping.

"Energon's low." Arcee said aloud. "Spark elevated, temperature raised."

"Can you give him a transfusion?" June asked. Arcee nodded. "Then do it."

Arcee nodded and went to the vault to get some energon and get it into a transfusion bag.

"Bumblebee." June turned towards the youngling. "I need you to get a bowl of water, warm but not hot enough to burn you. A few towels, a washcloth, and a medicine dropper."

/ Yes, ma'am / Bumblebee bleeped as he went off on a crucial scavenger hunt.

"Bulkhead."

"Yeah?"

"Sit down on that bed there." June ordered. "I want to see those burns."

"It's just my armor." Bulkhead stated. "It looks worse then it really is, really. I just need to sand it and buff it. Maybe new paint, but that's it."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little, but-"

"Then more then your armor is burnt. It burned you skin, or metal." June said firmly, stumbling a bit at the end.

"Protoform." Bulkhead meekly corrected as he sat down, not wanting to argue with the woman.

"Do you have any burn cream or something?" June asked, looking at the towering cupboards and shelves.

"In here." Bulkhead answered, rising and opening a hanging cupboard over the counter and pulling out a white canister and a clean rag.

He opened the canister and sat down again. He wiped the rag into the cream, and went to wipe some on his servo. He wasn't able to hold back a flinch at the burning ointment.

"Let me see." June ordered, taking the rag-to-bot towel-to-human sized cloth from the wrecker.

He lowered his servo, and bit his bottom lip to keep from hissing as she cleaned him up.

"Almost done." June said as she finished one and moved to the other. He flinched and hissed a bit. "Sorry. Almost there. Okay, you're done now. Don't touch it or get it dirty or anything. Some are second-degree burns."

"Yes, ma'am." Bulkhead said, laughing inwardly for only a second at how much the tiny human could be as intimidating as an angry Ratchet with a wrench.

Arcee came in with a bag of energon around the same time Bee returned with a bowl of steamy water and a few towels. He fished in a drawer for a few seconds before pulling out a medicine dropper.

/ What do you want this stuff for? / Bumblebee asked, forgetting about the proverbial brick wall between language.

June cast a glance at Arcee, who was hanging the bag up after inserting the needle edge into Ratchet.

"He wants to know what the stuff is for." Arcee said distractedly.

"Oh." June said, truning back to the yellow mech. "To clean Ratchet up some. You can help."

Bee nodded and placed the bowl down on Ratchet's moving cart, used for surgery usually. The towels were deposited on the berth next to the unconscious, drugged mech.

"How hot is the water?" June asked, dipping a hand into the overly large kiddie pool sized bowl Bumblebee had. Jeez, she could probably swim laps in it if she wanted. "Too hot."

Bee tilted his helm with an apologetic and questioning warble.

"It's okay. We can use it to clean off his body first." June stated, taking the towel sized wash cloth and dipping it in the water.

Bee did the same with his own wash cloth. He watched June for a minute as she scrubbed the energon off of his chassis. Summing up his courage, Bumblebee started to wipe of Ratchet's pedes.

They worked in silence, neither caring to talk but focusing only on the task at hand. Ratchet's face was cleaned off with a gentility Bumblebee didn't even know he possessed.

"Okay, now comes the tricky part." June finally spoke. "We gotta clean out his optics."

/ Wha'? /

June chuckled at the childlike response that needed no interpreter. "We have to get the blood-er- energon out of them or it could damage his eyesight. That's why the water can't be too hot."

An obvious 'Ohhhh' was emitted as the medicine dropper was dipped into the water and the liquid sucked up. Bumblebee was in charge of the dropper, obviously, as it was nearly as big if not bigger then the human female. June wiped up the bloody water with one of the dry towels, that were sheet sized to her.

/ That it? /

"That's it." June answered, finding it easy to answer if she simply listened.

Ratchet shifted a bit, a soft, breathy moan escaping his vocalizer as the drug started to wear off a bit.

"Somebody might want to grab a bucket." June said.

"Why?" Arcee asked, the artificial light gleaming off her chassis in a way that blinding June for a second.

"He probably swallowed a lot of the blood." June answered. "To a human, that'll make them sick. I don't know about-"

"Us too." Arcee vented, going into a storage room and getting a spare waste bin.

"You should all get some rest." June said. "It's late." she looked at her watch. "Nearly morning. You can't all be tired in the morning."

"Well, we can't very well leave a _human_ alone with him." Arcee stated.

"You can take shifts, then." June returned quickly.

"I'll start." Arcee stated, sitting with her pedes up on the counter. She tucked her hands behind her head.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee found their way to their berths to get some much needed and well earned rest. June went up to the sofa where the children played video games.

"Disgusting." she muttered as she brushed off crumbs and crumbled off all kinds.

She shuddered as he hand went into something sticky. Soda or juice, hopefully. June picked up one of the pillows and shook it out. A cloud of dust rose, making her choke and chough for a second. She turned when she heard a dry laugh.

"Sorry 'bout the mess." Arcee said lazily. "Ratch usually cleans up, but..."

"Shouldn't you all help out?" June asked, tapping her foot like a mother reprimanding a child. "You all do live here."

"We do." Arcee stated. "Just...haven't gotten around to that particular section. Been kinda busy, if you haven't noticed."

June shook her head as she hit the cushin once more to loosen the dirt. "Jack's gonna be hearing from me."

Arcee rolled her optics a bit, her attention turning from the human to the moaning mech on the berth. "Ratch?"

"He'll be out for awhile." June said, settling herself down on the less dirty couch. "The longer, the better."

Arcee nodded distantly, a far away look in her optics as she vented out.

"Something on your mind?" June questioned.

"Besides the obvious?" Arcee returned with a raised optic ridge. Her tight composure loosened dramatically as she slouched forward. "He's never been this sick. Not that I've known of."

"What exactly does he have?" June asked. "I don't mean to pry, but all I know is-"

"Yeah." Arcee interrupted. "That's fine. It's a deficency. Cybertronium. It's a mineral needed for all Cybertronian life. Without it..."

The femmes voice trailed off as she motioned towards the medic.

"Why aren't you all..."

"Half dead?" Arcee asked, her optics narrow slits as she glared at the wall.

"In a way." June replied.

"Cybertronium is found naturally on your planet. Mainly in the air supply." Arcee stated. "On Cybertron it's both a rock mineral and in the air."

"If we have it, why doesn't he?" June questioned.

"Because it might be in the air, but we need it in the rock form." Arcee answered. "Earth's got it in rock minerals, but it's harder then energon to find. So far, the 'Cons have their greasy claws in the only deposite found."

June sighed, scrubbing her face a bit. "I take it he needs it injected?"

"Or ingested." Arcee nodded.

"Is there any way you can extract it from the air?" June mused.

Arcee tilted her helm, thinking for a minute before shaking her helm. "No, it wouldn't work. It wouldn't be strong enough that way."

A cough made both 'females' start. Ratchet shifted, a pitiful moan leaving him. June motioned with her head for Arcee to be ready with the bucket, just in case.

"Ratch?" Arcee called, moving close to the berth. "Hey, can you hear me?"

Ratchet hummed a bit, his optics still shuttered as it took too much effort to try and open them.

"Ratchet. Hey. How you feeling?" Arcee asked, trying to get him to wake up some.

Ratchet shifted a bit, face taunt with pain. His tanks lurched, making him dry gag.

"Easy." Arcee said quickly. She hurriedly helped him up and held the waste bin under him as he retched again.

All that he had to purge, though, was the energon blood he had managed to swallow during his fit. His tank was emptied after only a few purges and he slouched back, letting his helm his the berth first with a loud clang.

"Feeling any better?" June dared to ask.

Ratchet vented out harshly, his frame going lax as he fell asleep once again. Arcee vented herself as the medic once again lost access to the outside world.

"He'll be all right." June tried to encourage.

"Not without Cybertronium." Arcee sighed, walking away with the bin.

* * *

Author's Note- Yeah, I know, sucky chapter. Took too long to update, terrible ending. All in all, a VERY crappy chapter.

Just watched Evolution (Transformers Prime Beast Hunters. Kinda threw a giant grenade right into my story plot... gave me some really good ideas, though, on how to incorporate it!)

Also, don't be expecting many more flashbacks. They were only used to show the similarities to the present illness to what he experienced in the past, and Optimus' hand in it. As his illness progresses into uncharted territory, Optimus and the others have less and less to go off of, so not many more (if any) flashbacks.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Inwardly, Ratchet was beside himself. It had been too long, much too long. Optimus was finally back where he belonged. He had come back only four days after Ratchet had finally gained enough strength to stand up on his own.

Of course, the Prime was none too pleased to hear of Ratchet's latest fit. Between Optimus coming back and now, Ratchet had had too much to deal with. Bumblebee pushed him to the breaking point with losing his T-Cog, and Bulkhead wanted to give him a spark attack with an over exposure to Tox-En and severe spinal strut trauma. Now, to make matters worse, they had a newbie.

He was practically a sparkling, by the immature way he acted. Ratchet found it humorous, almost, that Bumblebee was younger then this mech but yet was _much_ more mature then he was. His very name sent shudders up and down his back struts.

Smokescreen.

Ugh, gives one the shivers just thinking of it. His overly active processor and ADHD like ways. He could barely carry on one conversation without bouncing (both the conversation and his frame) around so much that it gave one proverbial whiplash.

Speaking of the little lobbing ball of energy, here he came now.

"Hey, Ratchet?"

No, not now. Not him!

"Yes, Smokescreen?" Ratchet vented. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering where you all kept the wax." Smokescreen stated, not even looking at the medic as he studied his own servo.

Ratchet turned from the monitor, taking in the sight of the dripping wet mech (mechling, more like it). He probably had just come from the wash racks and hadn't even enough sense to _dry_ himself first.

"Smokescreen!" Ratchet scolded. "You're getting water all over the floor."

"So what?" The white mech shrugged. "The floor needed a good cleaning, anyways."

Ratchet refrained from face palming. "All you are doing is creating a bigger mess than before! Before, the floor was simply dirty. But now? It's covered in mud."

"What's going on?" Arcee's annoyed and groggy voice came from the halls. Was it so hard to get a stasis nap after an all-night patrol?

"Stop!" Ratchet exclaimed, whirling to face the femme and giving him a severe bout of vertigo in the process. He shook it off; mentally, anyways. "You'll just track mud everywhere."

"Mud?" The blue femme parroted. "It's, like, what? 90 something, outside? In the desert."

"Well, Smokescreen has successfully made mud in the desert." Ratchet stated, sending a withering glare at said mech.

"Hey, I just wanted to know where to get some more wax! The can in the wash racks was empty." Smokescreen stated, his hands up.

"In the storage closet, where it's always been." Ratchet groused. "And, you'll conveniently find a mop and a bucket there as well."

"What?" Smokescreen exclaimed, his optics widening in horror.

"You said yourself that the floor needed cleaning." Ratchet stated. "Since you seem so concerned about the cleanliness of the base, I say that cleaning it should be your job from now on."

"But, that's-"

"Smokescreen." Ratchet said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're a mech after my own spark. I bet you'd like to dust as well, once you've finished mopping. The dust rags are in the storage closet as well. Top shelf."

"But-"

"Is there anything else you'd like to do?" Ratchet asked, his tone no longer purge-worthy sweet but warning.

"Uh...nothing that comes to mind." Smokescreen said, shaking off Ratchet's hand and backing away towards the hall. "I'm just going to, yeah. I'll do that. After I get some wax on, I'll do everything you said. Then I'll just be on my way."

Ratchet waited a good ten seconds after Smokescreen had disappeared into the hall. He heard the familiar sound of the storage closet door sliding open, creaking and grating halfway from disuse.

"Oh, Smokescreen?" Ratchet chuckled. "How silly of me. I nearly forgot to tell you, we're all out of wax. We've been so for the last... two months? That jar in the wash racks has been there since we moved in."

"Wha'?" Smokescreen's distraught voice practically screeched through the halls.

"Oh, well." Ratchet called back. "More time for you to clean, I suppose."

Arcee chuckled as she watched the youngling gather up the supplies and go as far away from the main hangar as he could to begin. Soft curses and mutters floated in from time to time, though.

Ratchet vented heavily, his helm pounding from all the stress. Of course, he had been able to plaster on a smile and a glare just for Smokescreen, but the before feelings of a seizure were beginning to creep their way back into his frame.

He stuck out a few crates stacked up by the computer monitors, and turned away from the blinking and flashing lights. He vented slowly, and covered his optics with a hand to try and compose himself.

"Are you feeling all right?" Arcee asked, going to his side.

Ratchet jerked a bit as her digits started to rest on his shoulder, making her jerk her hand back.

"Don't touch me." Ratchet said, taking another vent and not even bothering to lift his face.

Any little thing could set him off. A loud noise, a touch of any kind, a sudden movement, a light, even a new smell could start him off. His processor was on overdrive, trying to figure out why he didn't have the mineral he needed to function.

He ventilated again, trying to stop the growing heat in his chassis that slowly spread throughout him. The pounding in his processor was quickly evolving into a migraine, which really helped matters.

"Is there anything-"

"No." Ratchet stopped her. "Just...keep it down."

Arcee nodded. She quietly moved away from him and went to the monitor. Her nap was just going to have to wait. She cast a look at the medic, helm still in his hands as he moved it back and forth from time to time, to make sure he was all right.

After a good half hour had passed, Ratchet had deemed it safe to leave the crates. His movements were slow and pained. Arcee tried not to stare, but kept watch out of the corner of her optic. His joints would lock up at random times, making moving painful and hard. By the way he was trying to rub his digits, it looked like they had locked up again.

"Need help with that?" Arcee asked nonchalantly.

Ratchet shook his helm. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"What do you mean?" The femme asked, still sounding indifferent.

"Keeping an optic on me." Ratchet groused, even though she could tell that the action was appreciated. "You should be recharging. You were out all night."

Arcee shrugged. "I slept half the day already."

"You need more sleep to be fully operational." Ratchet stated firmly. "What if you're tired on the battlefield? Or just wear yourself out enough that I have to put you in an induced-"

"Okay, okay. I get it, Doc." Arcee said, rolling her optics and motioning at him to stop talking. "I'll go take a nap."

"You'll go get some sleep." Ratchet ordered, moving her towards the hall with only his optics.

"Yeah, yeah." Arcee humored him, walking away.

Ratchet vented as he returned to the monitors. In the distance, a bucket could be heard overturning, and a string of colorful curses made Ratchet smile just a little bit.

OoOoOoOoO

"So much for that nap," Arcee muttered, as she rolled out of her berth as a loud blaring filled the base.

"Energon on the move." Ratchet said as the Autobots gathered around the blinking monitors, making him look down to keep from seizing. It was almost like epilepsy, how those lights screwed with his processor.

"Finally, some action." Smokescreen said excitedly, tossing away his mop.

"Did you finish your mopping and dusting?" Ratchet asked as the white mech tried to mingle his way towards the ground bridge.

"Not entirely...but, the guys-"

"Will be fine without you." Ratchet finished.

"There should be somebody here on base." Optimus agreed with the medic, even though his reasons were most likely very different.

"I don't need a babysitter." Ratchet grumbled under his breath as he typed in coordinates on the ground bridge controls.

"So...I'll be serving as back-up?" Smokescreen asked, oblivious to Ratchet's mumblings that were easily detected by the others.

"In a way." Bulkhead stated hesitantly.

The ground bridge whirled to life with a swirl of oceanic colors. Optimus led the original team of the Autobots through it in alt mode, leaving the medic and the 'new kid' behind.

Smokescreen sighed as the bridge retracted in on itself. One look from Ratchet had him taking back up the discarded mop. He vented as he went to go get the bucket from the hallway. All that was left was the main hanger and the med bay.

He found the bucket right where he had left it, next to Optimus' closed berthroom door. When he returned to the main hangar, he found Ratchet right where he hadn't left him.

The medic was seated on the floor, his pedes tucked in and his helm resting on his knee joints. His ventilations were shaky as he slowly drew them in and exhaled them out.

"Ratch?" Smokescreen dared himself closer.

"Smokescreen." Ratchet panted, never moving, his voice weak and distant. "Listen t-to me very care-carefully."

"Okay." The white youngling said warily.

"In the med-bay-" Ratchet gasped in." There's a...um."

"Take your time." Smokescreen said in a gentle and soft voice, one that Ratchet was not aware the youngling possessed.

"A syringe." Ratchet finally got out. "In a drawer, the top one, t-there's a-a bottle. Get it into the syringe."

"What's going on?" Smokescreen asked.

"Just do it." Ratchet ordered, his voice pleading.

"You need me to inject you with something?" Smokescreen asked next, rising from his crouched position.

Ratchet snorted. "Hopefully not. Just...be prepared."

"For what?" Smokescreen asked as Ratchet started to get the shakes.

He tensed his frame, trying to control the trembling. A terrible nausea bubbled in his tank, making him not want to speak. He swallowed it down.

"Smokescreen." He warned.

"Okay. Fill the syringe got it."

The mech took two steps before turning around. "Um...what's this bottle look like?"

"What's the-" Ratchet vented to keep his temper under control. "It's...it's marked w-with red tape."

Smokescreen nodded before hurrying off into the med-bay. The metal syringe was easily found, right on top of the counter. The bottle was a bit more difficult to find.

"There's got to be, like, five top drawers in here!" He exclaimed.

"Hurry." Ratchet's voice called out breathily.

He grabbed the closest drawer and yanked it open. He cussed as he found blue, green, and even pink marked bottles, but no red. The second drawer came up a magenta shade, and the third drawer was all yellow and orange.

"Come on." Smokescreen growled to himself as he jerked the third drawer open. "There!"

The white bottle, marked on the top with a thin but bright red piece of tape, rested right on top of everything. He grabbed it up and hurriedly filled the vial. He went back to Ratchet, both the bottle and syringe in hand.

"Do you need this now?" Smokescreen asked the medic, still in an upright fetal position.

"No. Just...keep it handy."

Smokescreen nodded as he took a seat next to the medic. He was unable to sit right against the wall, door wings and all, but sat close to Ratchet as he tried to deduce what was wrong with him.

He was shaking, trembling even. His vents were hard, forced, and shaky. Ratchet shifted uneasily, allowing Smokescreen a quick glance at his faceplates. He seemed to have an olfactory bleed.

Without hesitating, Smokescreen went into his subspace and took out a clean polishing rag.

"Hey, Ratch, lemme get that for ya." He offered.

"No." Ratchet said in a voice a bit more frantic that the youngling had been expecting. "Don't...touch me. Please."

Ratchet saying please? This had to be serious. Unable to clean up the medic, Smokescreen sent a sidelong glance at the bottle he still had in his hands. In his haste he must had forgotten to put it back down. His optics widened for a second at what he saw.

"A seizure med?"

"I see." Ratchet vented. "That you are f-familiar with some...medicines."

"Just a few." Smokescreen replied, pulling the syringe he had set aside a bit closer. "The Elite Guard covered all the basics, even if it was pretty much a boot camp when I joined in."

Ratchet grunted, his helm still buried in his knees as he tried to shut out all the light and motion the world presented him. "Not everything you've been taught, then, can be applied here."

"What do you mean? Seizures were covered in the med classes. And, don't worry, I passed. Not the highest in my class, but certainly not the lowest." Smokescreen stated.

"If I start to seize." He in took deeply. "You've got to hold me down."

"But-"

"It's different." Ratchet interrupted. "Too much sensitive m-material here. Can be broken."

Smokescreen nodded as Ratchet shifted again with a heavy vent. He watched as a white and orange servo ghosted over his mouth. Without hesitating, Smokescreen rose and got the bucket from where he had placed it, by the ground bridge controls. He dumped the dirty water down a drain in the wash racks, grabbed another rag from a drawer, and returned to Ratchet, who hadn't seemed to move at all.

Ratchet lifted his helm a bit as a light clatter sounded in front of him. He snorted at the empty bucket.

"Don't want you purging on the floors." Smokescreen stated. "I know I haven't done in here yet, but I _really_ don't want to be cleaning up after you. Like that, anyways."

Ratchet shook his helm a bit, amusement dancing in his tired optics. He ventilated tiredly. Moving made him tremble a bit harder, and he really didn't want to go into a Grand Mal seizure while the new guy was the only bot there to help him.

"Smokescreen?"

"Still here."

"How...long...has it been?" Ratchet strained.

"'Bout ten minutes." The youngling answered, checking his chronometer.

"Check the monitors." Ratchet ordered. "The others-"

"Will check in. Got it."

Another ventilation left Ratchet as the white and blue mech rose to his pedes. He glanced back at the medic every few seconds as he watched the monitors, and saw no change.

"How ya doin' over there, Ratch?" Smokescreen called over his shoulder after a few minutes had dragged by.

No answer. Smokescreen turned and addressed him again.

"Hey, Ratch? Doc, ya there?" He asked, hesitating to tap him.

He stopped as steady breathing reached his audios. Even from where his hand was, he could feel the heat coming from the recharging mech. With the extra rag he had grabbed, he hurried to the wash racks to wet it. He set it on the medic's neck, the liquid hissing at the heat for only a moment. A pleased sigh left Ratchet, feeling the cooling effect even in his sleep.

Smokescreen hurried again, to the monitors, when they started to beep.

: Ratchet, we need a ground bridge :

: Smokescreen here. I'll send you the bridge, but you had better keep it down when you come back :

: Smokescreen : the Prime addressed : Where is Ratchet? :

: On the floor : He answered nonchalantly. : Hang on, I'll send you that bridge :

The bridge was opened, and Smokescreen knew that the others practically ran through it. True to his word, Ratchet was indeed on the floor. His back was to the wall, knees to chest, servos around pedes, helm in knees, and he was sitting upright. He didn't move, even after the bridge closed.

"He's just sleeping." Smokescreen said before he could be pummeled with questions. "He felt an attack coming and sat down. I took care of him. No, really!"

He added the last bit after a few incredulous looks. Optimus paid the others no mind as he knelt down on one knee, and carefully reached out to grip Ratchet's shoulder. He was overheating still, but had stopped shaking.

"Ratchet, are you awake?"

The orange and white servos slipped from his hugged, fetal position and flopped on the floor. Optimus gave him a gentle shake, getting irritated, as sleepy mumbles came from the medic.

"Ratchet, wake up. You cannot sleep on the floor."

Ratchet moaned a bit, his processor foggy and simply not liking the fact that he was waking up. One more shake, and one optic opened just a slit.

"Ratchet, wake up or I will have to carry you to your berthroom."

Ratchet shifted, grumbling now. "'M up. 'M up."

"Are you?" Optimus questioned.

"No." Ratchet answered breathily after a moment of processing the question.

Optimus carefully took his servo, and helped him to his pedes. "Why don't you go lie down? It is rather late."

"Yeah, yeah." Ratchet waved him off, rubbing at one of his optics with two digits. "How was your mission?"

"Hey, yeah! How'd that go?" Smokescreen asked, barely able to keep from bouncing. "How many 'Cons did you get? Was Megatron there?"

"Fine." Arcee answered the first one.

"Twenty-two." Bulkhead replied to the second.

/ Nuh-uh!/ Bee finished.

Smokescreen sagged. "Thanks, guys. Real informative. I want to know about the action! _How'd_ you defeat them, this time?"

"Calm down." Ratchet ordered, slapping away a servo in mid dramatic effect. "I swear, one of these days I will find a way to give you Ritalin."

"Ritalin?" Smokescreen parroted in confusion.

Ratchet shook his helm, pinching the bridge of his olfactories. He vented, both in irritation and exhaustion. "I'm going to bed. If you need anything, I don't care."

"Love ya too, Ratch." Bulkhead teased, slapping the medic lightly on the back as he passed.

Ratchet grumbled as he went up the well cleaned halls, being careful not to slip on the little puddles of water here and there. He opened his door, closed it, locked it, and fell into the berth and into recharge.

* * *

Author's Note- I know, short and no action. More of a filler chapter. Don't be dissin' the fillers! I've read some pretty awesome filler chapters!

Getting close to the end (I think...) I know I skipped a lot of the episodes (Operation Bumblebee Parts 1 and 2; Toxicity; and Hurt are briefly mentioned, as well as New Recruit)

I also wanted to mention that the last chapter was set in Orion Pax, parts 1 2 and 3 (?). Optimus did NOT defect to the Cons. I repeat IXNAY on the EFFECTAY! (Nix on the effect for all you who don't get Pig Latin)

Ultra Magnus may be popping up in the next chapter! (No promises, though) Come on, Shoulder Pads! And, and Wheeljack...yeah. Ol' Jackie hasn't made his debut yet.

* * *

Ratchet171 – Read? You've _wrote _some awesome filler chapters, this being a fine example. It's been fun and challenging beta reading these chapters. Took me a bit to figure out that "secubf" was "second".


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Primitive!"

Simply primitive! One room, one room! A military storage hangar, once used for military planes, tanks, and sensitive material like that. Now it was the home of eight Autobots! Eight, count them! All in one room. Could it get any worse?

Ah, yes. It could. They were dangerously low on energon, again. With more mouths to feed, though, they were going through their small supplies much quicker. Squabbles broke out between bots more often (mainly Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus when Optimus was not around). It was starting to get old.

Also, the children were constantly at base. No going home. They were babysitting 24/7. Of course, the children were proving themselves more and more, but still... At least they didn't use energon and usually stayed out from underpede.

The only plus side was that they were able to find a large cave with some Cybertronium inside. Of course, simply because the cave was large did not mean the deposit was. It was pitifully small, probably only around a months worth. It had all ready been strained and processed and purified.

Ratchet could only take two doses a day, one in the morning and one at night. His seizures had not stopped or lessened, but they hadn't picked up either. He hadn't seized since he had been alone, though, before they had come to this new base.

"Is something wrong, medic?" a bland voice from behind.

"Besides the fact I am using _earth_ computers to decode databases, study Synth-En, and keep an optic on all of you? Then no. _Sir_." he added as he turned to the mainly blue mech behind him.

"We are all stressed, medic. There is no need to get snippy." Ultra Magnus stated, his voice still bland and dry.

Ratchet vented to keep from saying something more then _snippy_. That mech could be just as terrible as that mech he once knew back on Cybertron. He had served as Second in Command under Optimus for a time. Prowl was his name. The only difference between Ultra Magnus and Prowl was that Prowl had had a close friend (read : bondmate), Jazz, who had been able to get that mech to loosen up a bit.

To sum it all up, Ultra needed a good lay.

Ratchet snickered a bit to himself, the green screen in front of him flashing just a bit as it summed up his calculations. Ultra Magnus getting fragged, him actually _loosening up _because of it.

The screen flashed quickly, letting him know that his next set of calculations were completed. A bit _too_ quickly. He felt his spark beat to the rhythm of the screen, and then faster and faster to match his intakes.

"Medic, are you- Ratchet?"

His trembling became jerked as his pedes became weak. Ultra Magnus took a step forward, servos out, and caught Ratchet in his descent. He lay him down on the floor at took a good step back.

"What's goin' on?" a voice drawled a bit, just for the sake of drawling his words.

"Stay back." Ultra Magnus raised a hand to block Wheeljack's curious path. "Give him space."

"Is he...seizing?" Wheeljack asked, tilting his helm back a bit in surprise.

"It is not Grand Mal, just give him space and let it pass." Ultra Magnus ordered. "On second thought, you can make yourself useful and get a blanket."

"What do you say?" Wheeljack asked with a slight wag of his index digit.

"_Now._"

"Yes, sir." came the defeated answer.

It was pretty easy to grab a blanket. They all slept together in one spot of the base. Right on the nice, hard, cold, drafty, cement floor. The warming blankets were easily found, and Wheeljack knew exactly whose to take.

"Here." Wheeljack said, unrolling the blanket and shaking it out to cover Ratchet with.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Ultra Magnus reprimanded, snatching the blanket away and balling it up. He knelt down and lifted the jerking mech's helm a bit to slide it underneath.

It wasn't a bad seizure, but a seizure none the less. It was far from pleasant, humiliating, hurt like the Pit, was exhausting, and frightening. He gasped out as a rather bad convulsion racked his frame.

"It's almost done, solider." Ultra Magnus said, still giving Ratchet room. At least he was far enough away from the monitor to keep from damaging it, or himself. "You're all most there."

Wheeljack rolled his optics at the -as the humans put it- piss poor comforting. He knelt down and took Ratchet's.

"Bear with it, Ratch. You're almost home free. Just a bit more." he said gently, more do then Ultra Magnus, just to tick him off. Anything to get inder his metal plating.

"Roll him onto his side." Ultra ordered as the convulsions began to pick up and the medic made a choking, hiccuping sound.

Wheeljack pushed Ratchet onto his side, rather roughly. Ultra Magnus growled in frustration.

"Must I do everything myself?"

"Hey, if you want something done right-" Wheeljack started, and stopped rather abruptly at the look he was given.

Ultra Magnus quickly took one of Ratchet's servos and crossed it across is white chassis. The other was stretched far above his helm and straight out. One pede was quickly lifted so that the knee was bent, and his crossed servo was adjusted once more. With one push, Ultra Magnus was able to push Ratchet onto his side, one servo pinned under him to keep him off his stomach plating, and his bent knee offering even more support. His other pede was bent to match the bottom one, and Ultra adjusted his servo once more to keep his face off the ground.

"And the point of this is?" Wheeljack asked, his voice showing that he thought his way was just as good.

"Recovery position." Ultra Magnus stated sharply. "It'll keep him from choking on his own expelled energon."

"Gross." Wheeljack said, making a face.

Ratchet gasped, convulsed, and heaved again. Nothing came out, but it was quite clear that if his seizure continued, he was going to purge.

"Do you think you can handle getting a dose of the seizure medication Ratchet keeps in the bottom left crate?" Ultra Magnus asked hotly. "Or must I do that myself?"

"I got it." Wheeljack muttered, rising to his pedes in a swaying motion. "Just where was it, again?"

"For the love of-"

"I got it." Wheeljack repeated before going over to the storage crates, moving them about, and reaching his hand into one. He returned with a pre-measured syringe of a bubbling, silvery soot colored liquid. "Got it. Doc's runnin' low, though. Only got one or two left, after this one."

Ultra's face furrowed in a frown as Wheeljack returned. There was a small amount of purged energon on the ground, but not enough to spread farther then Ratchet's mouth and on the floor and blaket a bit. Wheeljack shook the container, and prepared to jab Rathet with it.

"Don't shake it! Primus, do you know nothing?" Ultra Magnus snatched the syringe away, and flicked it with a digit to get out all the added air bubbles.

"Does everything have to be so complex?" Wheeljack argued in turn.

"It wouldn't be so complex if you actually paid attention." Ultra Magnus stated, turning to Wheeljack.

"I do pay attention." Wheeljack retorted.

"To things that only interest you! Because of you, Bulkhead and I were injured. Why? Because _you_ detonated a _grenade_ in an _enclosed space_!" Ultra Magnus stated hotly.

"Still won't let me live that one down, will ya?" Wheeljack grumbled. "It was supposed to detonate _inside_ the beast."

"I do not have time to argue about petty things." Ultra Magnus stated, suddenly remembering that he had a full syringe in his hands.

"I agree with Ultra Magnus' statement." a deep, baritone, and disappointed tone came from the hangar's double door entrance.

Ultra stopped again before jabbing the mech who had yet to stop shaking and jerking. Optimus stepped forward, his seeker like wings just barely clearing the entrance. He had been out scouting with the others, the others not yet arriving due to the fact that the ground still had traffic lights and speed limits while the sky did not.

Without a word, large hands gently plucked the syringe from Ultra's hands, and jabbed it into Ratchet's neck cables. The medic gasped at the sudden sensation tensing and arching in mid seize. The medication worked quickly, though, and Ratchet eased back into the recovery position Ultra Magnus had placed him in.

"Just take deep vents, Ratchet." Optimus said gently to the gasping mech on the floor. "What happened?"

"A seizure." Wheeljack stated in a sarcastic matter-of-fact tone. He hung his helm a bit after a very disappointed and close to angry look from the Prime. "Sorry." he mumbled.

"I believe the screens set him off, sir." Ultra Magnus explained. "I spoke to him only moments before he collapsed. He was perfectly fine before they began to flash. I caught him and began basic procedures for this kind of emergency."

"Except you were easily distracted by a quarrel." Optimus said, placing a hand on Ratchet's shoulder to help him sit up. "Easy."

Ratchet shakily rubbed at one of his temples, panting as if he had run PT with the human solders that morning. His back had nothing to rest on, as he was away from the wall and any monitors. Optimus supported him with one hand, the other ready to catch him if he began seizing again.

"Primus." Ratchet mumbled. "My helm. Did I...hit it again?"

Optimus shook his helm. "Ultra Magnus was able to keep you from another helm injury. You were seizing again, Ratchet. Have you been skipping on your mediations again?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "I can't afford to skip them, with the low doses now."

Without another word, Optimus rose and went to a small cupboard. When he returned, he held a very small cube of energon that fit neatly in the palm of his hand. He placed his free hand on Ratchet's shoulder as he offered him the cube.

"Optimus." Ratchet shook his helm. "I can't. I all ready had one. I can't afford to take another."

"Would you rather have the injection?" Optims questioned.

Ratchet vented and took the offered cube. Knowing how the medic often felt and reacted, Optimus backed away to give him some space. But, just because he moved away didn't mean that he didn't keep a careful optic on him.

That optic (two, to be precise) narrowed as the medic struggled for a moment to get to his feet. The gaze once again relaxed, though, after he sat down to rest on a stack of crates. The others soon returned, once again filling the hangar with noise and ruckus.

OoOoOoOoO

There were many things wrong with their base. One reason was the lack of equipment, another was the lack of enough fuel. Another was the fact that they had no wash rack, which caused a few problems every now and then.

The main problem, though, was the fact that there were no berthrooms, or even a few bunks or at least slabs of metal shoved in the wall to make simple berths. When it was time to recharge, Team Prime was pushed to the floor with what blankets the military had scrounged up for them. A couple sheets quickly sewn together was the complexity of it.

The floor, for many reasons as well, was a terrible arrangement. One of the reasons was the fact that Bumblebee, at times, would have bad dream cycles and kick in his recharge. Smokescreen soon learned the reason why nobody slept at Bumblebee's pedes.

Another was the fact that most of the bots were inclined to rumbling in their sleep, or snoring if ou wish. Agent Fowler had walked in late one night, having forgotten something or another, and had thought for a moment that the base was being attacked from the noise of it.

Another point was that it was acutely uncomfortable. Laying on a hard, cement slab was not comfortable for any species, Cybertronian or Human. It wrecked havoc on the joints and bent the spinal struts all out of proportion.

There was one more reason, though, that affected only one bot. The fact that Ratchet, who's joints liked to lock up when in disuse for too long and took a good deal of shaking out to get a little reign of motion back, could barely move in the morning.

Speaking of which, he also found that he was sleeping later and later. It wasn't terribly late, but it irritated him to no end that not only was he craving the recharge, and physically could not wake himself up from said recharge, the others were letting him sleep and even trying to be quiet to let him sleep longer!

Well, he was awake now. Time to get up and see who needed to be yelled at for being stupid. Ratchet shifted to rise, only to hear the disheartening sound of metal scraping metal and a scream like screech come from his joints. Trying once more rendered the same effects.

"Ratchet?"

"No."

Optimus vented as he knelt beside the medic. "Ratchet." he started again.

"What?" the medic snapped, looking at the ceiling, noticing every little piece of metal in it, the amount of bolts welded, how hard it was to keep his attention off of the Prime.

"You need help." Optimus stated, not even bothering to say it as a question when the fact was so blatant.

Ratchet would have pulled out of Optimus' gentle grip as the larger mech took his servo and began to massage the wires, but he was so locked up the most he could do was squirm in place.

"This is fraggin' ridiculous." Ratchet muttered once Optimus had worked his way down to his pedes.

Optimus never answered, simply continued his gentle administrations. Ratchet vented as he rolled his shoulder a bit, sighing as it snapped and popped loudly into place.

"Are you quite finished?" Ratchet snarked after a few more minutes had passed.

"Are you able to get up?" Optimus returned calmly.

"Quite." Ratchet returned, and hefted himself to his pedes.

Optimus vented a bit as Ratchet pushed by him to make his way to the monitors. He wisely remained silent as the human children, especially Raf, entered and the day fully began.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Never can make my life easy." Ratchet grumbled as he typed in coordinated to the other's location. "Open up the ground bridge." he mimicked in a rather disrespectful voice. "We have a Decepticon prisoner."

Suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone, he turned to see three rather creeped out faces. One with crocked glasses.

"What are you all doing, standing around?" Ratchet scoffed. "You heard him. Get out of here."

"Come on, now." Agent Fowler said, his voice lowered a bit as he addressed the children. "Let's go."

Ratchet shook his helm and pinched the bridge of his optics as he opened a ground bridge.

"Never. Never make it easy."

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet stood still, wavering a bit. He swayed from side to side, partly from the vertigo enveloping the giant room, the other part simply from boredom. He had lost all since of time. It could be today, tomorrow, or even yesterday for all he knew. All he knew, was that he badly needed a dose of Cybertronium, a cube of energon, and for the energy cuffs to be loosened at least a bit as they were burning his very protoform.

The door behind him unlocked, and he straightened and turned to face the dark lord himself, and his faithful, mindless minions.

"What do you want?"

OoOoOoOoO

Could that really be it? Was it all finally over? It could not be. It all seemed too surreal. The fact that he himself had done it, been the one thing to help the entire dead planet finally reach it's restoration, was the most hard to grasp.

"Ratchet?" a voice-no, _Bumblebee's_ voice cut through his thick processor as he stood in shock at the silvery planet below. "I think you should sit down. You're swaying all over the place."

"I'm fine." Ratchet returned, not finding it in him to shake off the youngling's touch.

"Ratch-"

"Would you look at that?" Ratchet vented, interrupting the young bot as he directed the others attention to the live-view screen before them. "It's been too long."

"I know." Bumblebee agreed. "I wasn't even able to see it until after Cyberton was half gone, and I still know that it's good to be back."

Ratchet pat the black and yellow servo, not only thankful for the company, but the fact that the youngling was here with them. While Ratchet might have been the final block in the restoration of Cybertron, it would have fallen into Decepticon hands if it had not been for the miraculous action of Bumblebee finishing Megatron off once and for all.

Ratchet reluctantly turned away from the image as he looked at the other faces. Not only those of Cybertronian, but those of the humans as well. They were just as awestruck by Cybertron's natural beauty as the locals were. Ratchet's spark sank a bit as he looked at one human in particular.

A human with almost frizzy hear that had a bit too much gel in it. One that wore glasses, a yellow sweater vest, and was more then a computer genius of Earth technology then he ever hoped to be. The young human that hid his tears well, managing to hold all back but one that glinted under his glasses and slid down his cheek.

Raf must be torn right now. With Cybertron restored, there was nothing holding Bumblebee and Ratchet back now. The only friends besides Jack and Miko that the adolescent male had. Bumblebee could barely contain his excitement at finally seeing and helping restore Cybertron to it's former glory, most likely making Raf feel as if Bee was slipping away.

And Ratchet. He had voiced-no- _complained_ many times about his utmost desire to return home again. Rafael had probably solidified in his mind that Ratchet was gone, most likely to be never heard from again. Maybe a Christmas card or something, but nothing more. Leaving him to tend the earth based space bridge by himself, and only half knowing Cybertronian glyphs and tech.

_No. I know my place._

OoOoOoOoO

The look on Raf's face had been priceless. While still sad that Bumblebee had to go back to Cybertron, all able hands were needed, the fact that _Ratchet_ was _staying_ was hard to believe.

Why shouldn't he? Humans tended to screw things up, and the ground bridge was something that should not be screwed up. Ever. Also, he hadn't finished training Raf. Ratchet had had to leave unfinished training with someone else before, but not again. Also, he had a good supply of Cybertroium coming in, excellent doses in just the sizes and amounts he needed. He had never felt better, so why not stick around? He'd do more good on this planet, anyhow.

OoOoOooO

"Now, recalibrate the support setting." Ratchet ordered the small human.

Raf nodded determinedly and straightened his glasses before going back into the control center. He had a smudge of grease on his cheek and a tiny scratch from a loose wire, but he was doing quite well.

Ratchet vented as he looked about. He was surrounded by humans, mainly males scattered by a few females in uniform. Jack and Miko were there was well, but they were off doing differnt things. Ratchet wasn't entirely sure what they were doing, but he couldn't have cared less.

"Hmm?" Ratchet hummed as a voice, in that awkward human stage that was deepening and tended to crack, broke his train of thought.

"I asked if I did that right." Raf repeated, pulling himself up from his laid back position under the monitors. "Are you feeling okay? You've been kinda spacey."

"Fine." Ratchet replied, zooming in his optics to scrutinize his work. "All is done well. Now, reroute the energy back to it's original course."

"Okay." Raf said, scooting back under and grabbing a tool.

He darted back up, hitting his head hard on the metal edge as he jumped. He groaned a bit, rubbing the new bruise as he fully sat up. There was shouting, followed by a second clang that greatly outdid Raf's bump to the noggin.

"Get out of the way."

"Give him some room."

"Send the call."

"To who?"

"Optimus Prime, you idiot!"

Raf looked down off of his perch to see Ratchet castrate upon the ground, his optics shuttered all but a slit and his frame spasming gently from time to time. He sighed as he shook his head a bit. It had been awhile, a few months even, since Ratchet had had an attack.

His attention was turned once again as a solider of African American descent started to yell at him, trying to get his attention.

"Raf, we need ya on the ground bridge controls." he said, motioning towards the deserted laptop connected to multiple larger monitors. (Hey, if you have a good system, why change it?)

"Sorry, sir." Raf said, hurrying over to the monitor.

The solider sighed. "I'm not a sir, Raf."

Raf gave one or two breathy chuckles, nervously brushing it aside in the seriousness of the situation. "Sorry, _Epps_."

The solider gave a well meaning smile and lay a reassuring hand on Rafael's shoulder. He sighed a bit as Raf hurriedly coordinated the spacebridge.

"Raf." Epps started. "You know what this means, right?"

Raf heaved a sigh and his fingers stilled for only a moment. He nodded quickly as he pressed enter and waited.

"He probably has to go back to his planet, now." Epps continued anyways.

"I know." Raf said quietly, a bit grateful when Epps was called away.

Raf found his way down to the main floor level and to familiar faces. Jack, Miko, June and Agent Fowler.

The spacebridge whooshed with other worldly chirups and bleeps as multiple bots quickly entered. One was very familiar, his red and blue paint job hard to miss and his tall size a dead giveaway. Optimus, though, was the only one distinguishable.

A mech built a bit like Ratchet but on a smaller, slimmer scale entered after Optimus, a red mask covering his face. Another bot, completely red and with a very long, tubular device on his shoulder followed the other.

"Must be some kind of laser canon." Miko stated.

A femme, a dusty shade of rose entered as well and went beside Optimus. Softer shades of pink and even white colored her helm crests, and Optimus seemed rather relaxed about her, even though his stature and demeanor did not change a bit.

"It is imperative that he transport him immediately." the red mech stated, observing the statistics that were broadcasted from the red and white bots scanner.

"He won't like it, though." the red and white bot sighed.

"What matters is that he is safe." the red mech returned, rising and pressing a hand to his comm. link.

Optimus drew his attention away from the two bots attending to Ratchet, who was still unconscious and spasming from time to time, to the familiar humans admist the throng of strangers.

"Agent Fowler." Optimus addressed the only human of rank he really knew. "It has been awhile."

"Four months, Prime." Agent Fowler agreed with a nod. "I take it you got to take the doc back with ya."

"It is for the best." Optimus said, though his voice showed the worry his optics portrayed.

"Who are you?" Miko blurted out, in her own mannerism, looking up at the tall pink femme.

The femme seemed a bit nervous at first, being addressed and now having to address a different species. She cast a glance at Optimus, and took a vent after a reassuring look from him.

"I am Elita-1." she answered. "Optimus Prime's sparkmate."

"Sparkmate?" Miko repeated, racking her brain. "So...you're his wife?"

"Of sorts." Elita-1 replied after a quick internet search. "My ship returned to Cybertron not soon after we received the message. It may be a bit juvenile, but foe the few vorns we have been together again, I have been unable to pull myself away from his side."

"The company is not unwanted." Optimus stated, a look about him that June easily noticed. One of deep love covered up by a business like aura, but still there and dying to come out.

"Prime, sir." the red and white mech addressed Optimus from behind.

"Status, First Aid?" Optimus asked, turning.

"He's ready for transport." First Aid stated, motioning to a gurney that had been pushed through the spacebridge just moments ago, and which Ratchet was currently strapped to.

Optimus gave a nod of his helm. He started to go when a small voice, one that surprised even him at speaking up, stopped him.

"Will he be coming back?" Raf asked, doubt lacing his voice but tinged with a bit of hope.

Elita turned, that maternal look in her optics that he knew too well. The one that had kept Bumblebee with them instead of sending him off to a youth sector or another base. He sent her a pulse through their bond, saying most definitely that they would _not_ be taking the human back with them. She seemed a bit annoyed at that, but nothing more.

"That is uncertain, Rafael." Optimus answered, looking gently at the young male. "If his stay on Cybertron is extended, I do not see the harm in a visit."

"Is that safe?" June questioned, standing up in a motherly role herself.

"The air w_as_ toxic for humans the last I knew." Agent Fowler added.

"That was before Cybertron was restored." Optimus answered, watching out of the corner of his optic as the Perceptor and First Aid quickly took Ratchet through the spacebridge. "The atmosphere was hazardous to us as well, resulting in us requiring filters. The atmosphere now should be quite fine for humans now, as it is restored and being rebuilt."

"I'll take your word on it." the ex-Ranger stated.

"Optimus." Elita said, motioning a bit with her helm towards the open spacebridge.

"I know." Optimus replied. "We will stay in touch, Agent Fowler."

The adult male nodded as Optimus followed his bondmate into the spacebridge. Raf hung his head a bit, shoulder's slumping as the bridge was closed from the other side.

* * *

Author's Note- First thing first, I want to apologize to Ratch for not sending this to her to beta. I feel so bad, with you being in college and all and sending you my chapter to beta. I will still send you chapters! (that is, if you want them) but I just wanted to get this one out of the way... Please don't hate me.

Also, I apologize for this taking so long to all my readers! I have the next chapter well underway (be on the lookout for everyone's original favorites!) Just to clear things up now, all the bots that are recognizable in the near future (and this chapter) look just like the G1 bots, just in a TFP kinda way.

One more thing...this story is getting very close to finished! The next chapter might actually be the last...still not sure.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

With a choke, Ratchet felt himself onlining. He was aware of movement about him, distorted, muffled speaking somewhere in the darkness, and the steady beeping of some kind of moniter.

"Come on." the voice repeated, coaxing Ratchet out of his stasis.

Ratchet shifted a bit groaning as the full effects of consciousness hit him like a wrecker's balls. His helm was pounding, his tanks felt dry and empty, he was having a terrible case of cottonmouth, and he was achy and sore everywhere.

"Aid?" Ratchet croaked a bit, his processor finally processing just who he was looking at.

The other medic vented in relief. "Just take it easy. You had an attack, another from what I'm told."

"I'm on Cybertron." Ratchet stated, ignoring the younger mech's medical mutterings.

"Yep, and you're going to be staying awhile." First Aid said firmly.

"Just who do you think you're talking too?" Ratchet huffed. "The last I remember, you were _my_ assistant and-"

"Thing's have changed since then." First Aid interrupted. "As of _now_ you are _my _patient and you will be following _my_ orders now."

"You've gotten bold." Ratchet observed with a pleased, amused look on his tight, tired face.

"I've had to." First Aid said with a vent. "Things changed after the Exodus. I was the only medic on the ship I went out on. Half of them...half of them offlined."

"It wasn't your fault." Ratchet automatically said, reaching out to catch his _ex-_assistant by the servo as he turned away.

"I know." First Aid said lowly. "I didn't have the tools, the medicine, anything that I needed to save them."

"You did all you could." Ratchet stated instead of asked.

First Aid nodded, his red mask reflecting the light a bit. Ratchet let him go, the moment passing, and First Aid went over to the counter on the other side of the room. They were silent for a bit, a bit awkward but not quite, until Ratchet broke it.

"So..." he vented. "Where exactly are we."

"Iacon, where else?" First Aid smirked, his optics crinkling.

"Iacon all fixed up?" Ratchet asked.

"Nowhere is 'all fixed up'." First Aid stated. "But Iacon is the farthest progressed. Enough so, for a good hospital set up, bots with medical training working, and enough salvaged and fixed equipment to treat most things."

Ratchet grunted in approval. He shifted a bit, his back struts aching from disuse. He turned to rise.

"Don't even think about it." First Aid said calmly, his back still turned to Ratchet as he mixed something on the counter.

"Optics on the back of your helm?" Ratchet questioned, still going to rise.

"Nope, but I learned enough from you to get my point across." First Aid answered, grabbing something large and silver off of the far end of the counter and turning around, allowing the artificial light to gleam off of his well polished wrench.

"Then my training so done." Ratchet smirked, hefting himself to rise.

First Aid grumbled and quickly strode across the room to push him back down. "There are more then enough medics to call up to get you to lie back down."

"Oh, yeah?" Ratchet dared.

"Remember Preceptor?"

"He was a processor specialist."

"Had to go to med. school first, to specialize." First Aid stated. "There's plenty more too, as well as good security."

Ratchet vented, too fatigued to argue. "I yield." he vented, stretching back out on the medical berth.

"Here." First Aid said, taking Ratchet's servo and holding it horizontally. "This'll help."

"Cybertronium." Ratchet stated as the familiar syringe tip pricked his tube and injected it's contents. "Putting me to sleep, eh?"

"It'll keep you quiet and out from underfoot." First Aid stated, withdrawing the now empty syringe and patting the servo twice. "Now get some rest."

"Yes...doctor." Ratchet slurred, optics shuttering before he had even fully lay his helm back.

OoOoOoOoO

"Just take it easy, _please_." First Aid pleaded.

"Please." Ratchet scoffed. "I am not a youngling in need of protection-"

"You're a stubborn aft in need of guidance." First Aid finished abruptly.

Ratchet made a snarky face at the younger mech, causing the other to roll his optics.

"So immature." First Aid stated.

"Growing old is mandatory." Ratchet stated, almost sagely. _Almost. _"Growing up is an option."

"Slagtard." First Aid scoffed.

"Am I permitted leave, carrier?" Ratchet asked, bored and ready to leave his med-bay room after nearly four orns.

"Yes, yes." First Aid vented. "But you are not permitted work. Anywhere, for any reason."

"I'll find a way." Ratchet promised.

First Aid growled a bit in irritation before giving Ratchet a light shove. "Get out of here before I tie you back down to the berth. You shouldn't even be up yet."

"I'm going." Ratchet said, leaving and venting in relief after the door slid closed behind him. "Now, as long as Iacon's being rebuilt the way I remember... I should be able to find my way."

OoOoOoOoO

Optimus had declined numerous times. He had insisted that places such as Polyhex, Praxus, Voc and even other places in Iacon, but returning bots had gone against his pleas and rebuilt the ancient manor that every Prime had lived in since the first. It touched him that those returning were very thankful, but he wished that the time used to rebuild a dwelling place for him had been used in rebuilding other places.

Now, though, with most places nearing completion or being well underway, it was rather nice to relax without fear of attack or where his people would rest for the night. They had gone far enough to make the place rather big, still smaller then what it was originally, but making it far bigger then Optimus would have ever wanted.

Which is why Ratchet was staying with him during his time on Cybertron. To make him more 'comfortable and closer to bots he knew'. Prime had conveniently left out the part about Cybertron possibly being his final resting place.

"Optimus." Ratchet grumbled as he was practically pushed into an overly cushioned seat, an extra coushin placed behind him and a small blanket drapped over his pedes. "Please! What the frag are you doing?"

"Making sure that you are comfortable, old friend." Optimus replied cooly. "You have been on Cybertron for less then five orns, four of which were spent in the hospital recuperating. I do not want you to get excited and fall ill again."

"Well, doing this is darn well getting me excited!" Ratchet snapped, trying to toss away the blanket only to have it replaced. "I know you too well. You have something planed."

"Me?" Optimus asked, the picture of innocence. At the incredulous look from Ratchet, Optimus smiled a bit and vented. "If you must know, I had a _little_ something planned."

"And just what, pray tell, is it?" Ratchet asked in a completely unamused voice.

"Well, if you don't want to see me." a voice from the other side of the room called in. "I guess-"

"Elita?" Ratchet asked, his voice breathy and shocked. "Elita-1."

"Yep." said femme replied, coming into the sitting room. "First time I've seen you awake since coming back."

Ratchet snorted, waving her off. "When-"

"I landed with a few others soon after Optimus sent out the 'all clear'." Elita answered. "Hold on."

She carefully went back to the door and called out. "It's okay, Jazz. You can come on in."

"No." Ratchet moaned in a fake agony. "Not Jazz. No. No!"

"Yes. Yes!" that thick, Polyhexian accent floated in as a white mech, complete with blue visor, entered. "How ya' doin', Ratch? Seen ya better, I'd say."

Ratchet was still in his 'mock' shock. "Anyone but you! Even the Twins!"

"Aw, Sunny, he remembers us!"

"Shut up, Sideswipe."

"I take it back!" Ratchet exclaimed, but too late. He buried his face in his hands as a too yellow bot came in with a cheery red mech. "Not you two terrors."

"I told you he'd remember us." Sideswipe stated.

"How could he forget us?" Sunstreaker asked, a very rare smile on his face. It melted away soon, but for the moment, it was there.

"I've tried." Ratchet stated. "Believe me, I've tried."

"Ya remember us, Ratch?" another Polyhexian accent asked, just as thick but deeper.

"I couldn't forget you, Ironhide." Ratchet stated. "As well as you, Chromia. Forgive me for not rising, but I do not believe Optimus would allow me."

"Such a gentlemech." Chromia rolled her optics, her bulky frame taking up just as much room as her mate's.

At the sound of a comm. beep, Ratchet turned to see Jazz curled a bit, hand to his temple.

"Jazz." Ratchet scolded. "You are as ba human with their cell phone."

Jazz's hand slowly moved away from his temple, an odd look plastered on his face. "Wha'?"

"You wouldn't understand." Arcee stated, coming in, followed closely by the rest of the members of Team Prime.

"Arcee!" Chromia exclaimed, pushing aside Ironhide and bolding the twins over. "Sis."

"Chromes." Arcee vented out, looking very tiny next to her older sister as she was enveloped in a hug.

Chromia released her, reluctantly, after a second. "Been awhile?"

Arcee nodded in agreement. Jazz chuckled a bit as he turned from his comm.

"Tha' was Prowler." Jazz stated. "He said he'd be 'ere in a klik, jus' got a lil' held up."

"Prowl?" Ratchet asked. "I could have sworn that he...his ship was blown, though!"

"Tha' wasn't us." Jazz said, crossing his servos across his chassis.

"Oh." Sideswipe moaned. "Prowl?"

"Would you rather I be offline?" a stoic voice asked, opening the door to enter.

Jazz's face went from smug to proud as Prowl entered, a small something curled up on his shoulder.

"Primus." Ironhide drawled. "You've been busy, have ya?"

With a click, two overly large optics pulled themself from Prowl's neck to take in the crowded room. A chevron, deep red, was plastered to her forehelm and two doorwings were folded down on her back in a resting position. Her entire frame was a charcoal gray, her doorwings streaked with a strip of blue. A stretched, white 'O' seemed nearly painted to her chassis.

"Meet Zero." Jazz said proudly.

"Lemme see her." Chromia demanded, cupping the sparkling to cradle it.

A bit reluctant, but expecting nothing less, Prowl gave the sparkling up to the blue femme.

"Hide?"

"No." Ironhide said firmly, earning a scowl from the femme. "At least, not yet. 'Kay?"

Chromia huffed as a red blur hurried past her, snatching the sparkling from here.

"Careful." Prowl said sharply, doorwings up in a defensive, alert way as he watched his sparkling bounced about.

"Aw, chill out." Sideswipe grumbled, tickling the small femme's thin stomach armor. "There isn't a sparkling that doesn't like Sideswipe!"

"You seem to forget." Ratchet started. "Then when Bumblebee was small, he would cry whenever you simply came around."

"That was just Bee, though." Sideswipe stated, relishing the way the mentioned youngling reddened. "There's been _tons_ of sparklings that love me."

"Sides, you only knew Bee-"

"Mute it." Sideswipe cut off his brother, bouncing the sparkling a bit more. Prowl's engines revved warningly, but Jazz kept a hand on him to keep him seated.

With a squeaky gasp, Zero began to sputter and whine. Bouncing harder seemed, though, to have not been the answer as she began to outright _bawl._

"Now you've done it." Sunstreaker muttered, sinking into his seat on the loveseat beside his brother a bit more, helm held low.

Jazz frowned as he rose, but stopped as the yellow twin made a move. With an irritated vent, Sunstreaker elbowed his brother a bit.

"Give 'er here."

Sideswipe quickly deposited the wailing sparkling into his twins servos.

"Hey, calm down, now." Sunstreaker rumbled in a less rough voice. His servos moved back and forth fluidly, lulling the sparkling back into a content state.

"Well I'll be." Ironhide drawled.

"Hmm?" Sunstreaker asked, seemingly dazed by the sparkling in his servos. He became instantly aware of the optics on him, though, and scowled. "Oh, mute it. Someone take the thing before I drop it."

"Can I hold her?" Bumblebee asked, one of his pedes shuffling as he addressed Prowl and Jazz.

"Go ahead." Prowl said with a nod.

Sunstreaker rose and crossed the room to hand the sparkling to Bumblebee. Bumblebee awkwardly took him, moving about to try and get the sparkling to lay right. Scoffing, Sunstreaker once again stepped in.

"Like this." he stated, moving Bee into position, supporting the helm and pedes.

Once finished, the now ex-frontliner brooded away, plopping down next to his brother who gave him a cheesy grin and an elbow to the ribs.

"Hey, little guy." Bumblebee said softly, daring to loosen one of his servos to stroke the little femme's helm. "You couldn't have chosen a better time to be born, huh? Right after everything's done, and your home's being rebuilt."

The sparkling clicked and whirred back, obviously not understanding what her elder was saying but content to listen to his voice. With her smooth, tiny digits, she was able to grab onto Bee's hand and began to diligently suck his index digit.

Bumblebee looked a bit alarmed, and glanced up for help. His spark sank as he was only chuckled and smirked at for his frantic looks. Jazz rose and went over to bail the Bee's finger out.

"Don' do tha'." Jazz said playfully, sliding the youngling's finger out of the tiny mouth. "Ya don' know where it's been, now, do ya?"

Zero crowed in displeasure at having her snack removed, and was once again moved to another bot. This time, she was curious as to who her holder was. While young, she could still sense that there was something wrong with him, but obviously was unable to tell just what it was. He was gentle, though, even though he seemed to not be the gentle kind.

"Jazz." Ratchet vented as the sabatour deposited the sparkling into his lap.

"Jus' hold 'er some." Jazz stated. "Do ya both some good."

Ratchet scoffed at the comment, but was instantly drew away by a chirp. "What?"

"You're probably the oldest thing she's seen." Smokescreen stated, earning a laugh from Sideswipe who instantly lay his hand flat for a high five.

Ratchet rolled his optics. His optics, though hidden to the others, softened at the sparkling that squirmed in his lap. He scooped it up, letting it lie back in one of his servos but still over his lap. Ratchet looked him over, taking his his colors, chevron and doorwings.

"It's odd." he said aloud. "She doesn't have either of your colors. He looks more like Smokescreen and Bluestreak."

"He looks nothing like me." Smokescreen stated.

Prowl shook his helm, a hurt look in his optics. "I had a brother named Smokescreen."

"Had?" Smokescreen parroted.

Prowl shifted uneasily. He rose to his pedes, and went over to Ratchet. "She's...probably hungry."

Ratchet gave a nod and let Prowl take the sparkling, watching as he left the room.

"What's up with him?" Sideswipe asked frankly, glancing about.

Jazz vented, tearing his optics away from the closed door. "He's still pretty upset. Smokey died durin' the Exodus as he tried ta escape with Blue. We rescued Blue, but he offlined later on too."

"I know how he feels." Wheeljack spoke up, shifting a bit as Bulkhead's elbow was in his side. "Tracked down a bunch of Wreckers during my time in space. Seaspray, Mirage, Beachcomber... watched each one get picked off by the Cons."

Chromia shifted, but not in discomfort. "'Cee...while we're on this subject, there's something you need to know."

Arcee looked towards her sister, optics alert and her entire frame listening.

"'Cee...for awhile, I didn't know what happened to any of you. You, Moonracer, Firestar, as far as I know, all of you could have been gone or just hiding. I heard about you on Team Prime on some rumor line I only heard about Moon and Star after Hide and I landed."

"What about them?" Arcee asked, her voice all ready showing that she knew where this was heading.

"I don't...how the died, but they did." Chromia said, her words a bit forced, a bit choked.

"So..." Arcee vented. "Tailgate, Cliffjumper, Moonracer _and_ Firestar..." she bent back one digit for every name.

"All gone." Chromia finished, optics low and downcast.

Arcee vented, falling silent as she tried to register just _what_ she was supposed to feel. She wanted to feel angry, but at who? The Cons? No point. She wanted to feel sad, but she had cried out long ago. She wanted to shout, but again at who?

Ratchet detected a hurt, depressed look in Optimus' deep blue optics. Even when young, Orion Pax had hated death more then anything. Now, though, it was well known that many blamed him for the death of loved ones; though they would not come outright and say it.

Before the rather depressing subject could continue, Prowl his returned. While the mech was silent, the suckling sound of a feeding sparkling filled the quiet room. Zero was quite content to suck her bottle, not caring when the light blue, shimmering liquid formed a silvery trail down her chin.

Some kind of conversation was struck up Something that the older bots knew all about; something that Bumblebee didn't know a lick about. He was just as content as Zero, though, watching her eat her meal. Prowl had noticed the youngling's fascination with the sparkling very early, and now decided to act upon it.

"Would you like to feed her?" he asked lowly, as to not interrupt the other's discussion.

"Me?" Bee asked, looking from the bottle held at a good 60 degree angle and then to the sparkling, optics half-shuttered.

Prowl didn't answer, instead allowing his actions to say more then his vocalizer ever could. He stood and turned to Bumblebee, positioning the femmeling into the other mech's yellow servos.

Having been started from her half-sleep, Zero began to cry.

"I-I," Bee stammered. "I think she wants you instead."

"Nonsense, she only wants her bottle."

After being armed with the bottle no bigger then his hand, the yellow-brown nipple of it was inserted into her mouth. She instantly quieted down, and even wrapped her small hand around one of Bumblebee's digits.

Prowl returned to the conversation,though he kept a close optic on the youngling.

OoOoOoOoO

"Ratchet?"

"What?"

"Do you think that is wise?"

Ratchet vented, bringing his cube down from halfway to his mouth. It shone darkly, giving away its contents of high grade. Sideswipe, all ways having some kind of alcahol content about him, had broken out enough high grade for everyone to get pretty tipsy if they wished.

"It is one cube, Optimus. I have no intentions of getting drunk."

Optimus only vented a bit as he withdrew from his friend's seat, accepting a cube of his own when offered.

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet chuckled a bit to himself as he recalled something said between him an Ironhide a few day, or orns now that he was back on Cybertron, ago. Laughter was the best medicine, right?

Or maybe it was a dose of Cybertronium that he needed now. His pedes felt so weak that he wobbled on them, holding onto inadament objects as he tried to simply get to the room Optimus had supplied him with.

What a fool he was! He always made sure that he had at least one dose of Cybertronium with him at all times, only to have forgotten to stock up that morning. Now, later in the afternoon, he was paying the price.

With a pained grunt and hiss, Ratchet collapsed, holding onto a storage compartment in the hall. His one knee clattered onto the floor while his other remained bent and poised in the air. His intakes felt clogged and jammed, the intake and extake motions becoming jumbled into one gasp that accomplished nothing. He felt a warm trickle work its way from his olfactory sensor, and saw through blurred vision droplets of blue shimmering down to the floor.

He didn't know how much longer he could hold himself up. He needed to comm., but his frame felt almost frozen. He slid down further, until both one hand one one pede were on the floor and his optics were parallel to it.

Not a moment too soon, a soft and warm hand was placed on his shoulder. While distorted, he could faintly make out the image and voice of Elita calling out to him. Kliks later, his optics went out and he sank into a silent darkness.

* * *

Author's Notes- I would like to thank my good friend (Read: Best) friend Dragonfly for the use of her character Zero. She invented the Prowl and Jazz slash sparkling and was kind enough to let me write it! You can find Dragonfly here on Fanfic under the name Autobot Dragonfly, or on DeviantArt under the same name. She is a very talented photographer and artist!

Also CLIFFY! Oh, the suspence! 'I hope it'll last'.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

Ratchet vented hard, quite a task with a tube shoved down his throat. First Aid had inserted it an orn or so ago while he was still out. The tape holding it still was immensely itchy, his lips were dry despite the amount of oral lubricants smeared on them from his open mouth, and all in all, he was uncomfortable.

Well, he'd take this like a mech! He was a _medic_ for Primus' sake! He knew how to insert tubes of all kinds, and, most importantly, remove them.

"Stop." First Aid reprimanded, slapping his hand.

Ratchet grunted, biting down on the tube a bit and then wishing he hadn't as it shifted. His hand withdrew from the tape, and a scowl plastered and aimed directly at the younger medic.

"Don't give me that look." First Aid ordered. "It's for your own good."

Rtacht groggily rolled his optics. He was now on a direct feed to Cybertronium, a non-stop I.V. of the fluid. Orally taken, Cybertronium had little side effects but was not absorbed into the energon stream very well. A direct I.V feed, though, went directly into the energon stream but made the bot extremely tired once they got past the 'knock out' stage.

Knock out, simply meaning it would knock one out for any given period of time.

"You have a lot of blood in your tank, and your respirators aren't doing what they should." First Aid explained.

:Tell me something I don't know: Ratchet snarked over a private comm.

"That your spark is also in jeopardy if you keep pushing yourself? The only reason you aren't on an internal spark monitor and shocker is because Elita found you in time?" First Aid tried.

Ratchet snorted in a unconcerned way. He vented softly, tired beyond belief. He felt as if he could sleep for light years.

First Aid nodded in approval. "Get some recharge. You'll feel better."

Too tired to argue, too tired to care, too tired to be tired, Ratchet did just that.

* * *

"Ratchet." First Aid sing-songed in. "You have visitors."

"Tell 'em to go away." Ratchet muttered. He was tired again, and crabby. The only upside was that he had been upgraded from a breathing tube in his throat to his olfactories.

He couldn't get up, not enough strength, and was confined to the medical berth. At least let him go back to Optimus'! That was a wish in vain, though, after what had happened earlier that morning. As it turned out, even with a direct Cybertronium feed, with how far gone he was, it really didn't do a thing for the seizures.

"All right." First AId agreed chipperly and turned. "Sorry- Raf, is it? Guess you can't-"

"Don't be an aft, Aid." Ratchet grumbled. "Let him in!"

The doorway revealed a klik later, a human male safely in the hands of his ex-Guardian.

"Raf." Ratchet vented. "What are you doing here?"

"Bee invited me. Well, me and Miko and Jack." Raf started.

"I'm finally graduating!" Bee exclaimed, doorwings quivering with barely suppressed excitement. He set Raf down on Ratchet before he forgot and started speaking with his hands and dropped him "I told Raf he could be there awhile ago back on earth."

"Congratulations, Bumblebee." Ratchet stated, a rare smile on his face. "I only...wish I could be there."

"Can't you?" Raf asked. "I mean-"

"Raf." Ratchet interrupted. "I would give anything to be there. But you don't know my slag-tard of an assistant."

"_Ex_!_ Ex_-assistant!" First Aid shouted from the corner of the room, keeping careful observation of the newcomers.

"See what I mean?" Ratchet started. "If I-"

"Mute it." First Aid ordered, pushing himself from his lax position on the wall. "He can go, but only if he follows _my_ rules."

"And those are?" Bee questioned.

"That he does everything I say." First Aid stated.

"That's insightful, Aid." Ratchet stated in the most sarcastic voice he could muster.

"What would you make him do?" Raf asked from his perch on Ratchet's chassis.

"For started, he would use a hover-chair." First Aid began.

"Aid-"

"Second, I would have to be there. To keep an optic on him." the younger medic continued.

"Aid!"

"Thirdly, he would have a drip. Actually, that's a given." First Aid said thoughtfully. "Thirdly...he can't stress himself and if anything happens, I get to take him back."

"Aid!"

"What?" First Aid asked, the picture of innocence. "Those are my terms. You don't like 'em, then Bee can graduate without you."

The youngling's wings dipped momentarily. Ratchet vented, shook his head and pinched the bridge of his optics with one hand. With the other, he waved First Aid off.

"Fine."

"Yes!" Bee pulled a fist back in triumph.

Raf smiled brightly as First Aid retreated back to his corner, warning them that they had five breems left.

Making the most of it, Ratchet didn't waste time small talking. "How are things back on earth?"

"Pretty much the same." Raf stated. "Except now they're different 'cause you're not there."

"I'm...sorry." Ratchet said haltingly.

Raf shook his helm quickly. "Not your fault."

"Any more trouble with the ground bridge?" Ratchet asked.

"Nah, not really. Not anything that I couldn't handle." Raf answered. "There was a mix up, though."

"Oh?" Ratchet humored.

"Yeah...you know Sgt. Lennox? Well, he wanted to be bridged to Cybertron. He got all prepared, even put on one of those space suits even though he didn't need it. Well, lucky he did." Raf stated sheepishly.

"What did you do?" Ratchet asked, noticing the way Bumblebee snickered. He had obviously been told this story first.

"I didn't do anything!" Raf exclaimed. "Epps did it! He thought it would be funny to type in coordinates at _random_. Warped Lennox onto Moonbase 2. It took awhile to get it straightened up, but then-"

Ratchet fell silent, simply content to listen to both of the youngling's chatter. First Aid was also quiet, letting the visit last much longer then the ordered five breems.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, strapping the velcro pack of mixed oxygen, nitrogen and other gasses to the back of the chair.

"I am."

"You know, he wouldn't mind if you didn't go." he continued, packing in multiple bags of Cybertronium to be hung on an I.V drip.

"I said I'm going, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Are you sure you're not to tired? How 'bout this? We stay for only the ceremony, not the reception. Then you can-"

"Aid." Ratchet vented, placing a hand on the younger medic, making his stop in mid-prep. "It'll be all right. I'm not even walking!"

First AId vented. "I just don't want you to wear yourself out."

"I'm not gonna wear myself out." Ratchet promised. He chuckled dryly, but still slightly amused. "Are you sure you packed enough?"

"You think I need to get more?" First Aid asked, straightening to hurry over to a cupboard.

"No." Ratchet scoffed. "Just...chill."

"Chill?"

Ratchet gave a short laugh. "Something Miko taught me."

"One of the humans?" First Aid asked, packing something else into the back of the hover chair.

Ratchet, who was seated on the edge of the medical berth, nodded. "You might be able to meet her, if she is here as well."

First Aid gave a nod, showing that he was only half listening. "All right, ready?"

"I've been ready." Ratchet stated, starting to push himself up.

"Easy." First Aid started, lurching to grab Ratchet's servo and assist him.

Ratchet turned away, causing the other med-bot to trip and stumble forward a few steps. "I am only _allowing_ you to do this so that Bumblebee is not disappointed. You absolutely _will not_ assist or coddle me in any ways. Is that clear?"

"Ratchet, I am your doc-"

"I am _not_ speaking to you as a medic or patient, but as your _elder_." Ratchet replied firmly, coldly, as he slowly sat down, his joints creaking in protest. "Is that clear, Aid?"

"Yes, sir." the younger medic mumbled as he removed the bottom, rolling supporting part of the I.V. and slid it into place on the hover-chair.

He stopped in his preparations as a hand, rough with age and hard work but gentle in context, stopped him.

"Aid, I'm not trying to be...difficult, I just-"

"Can't stand the extra help." First Aid finished, his hidden smile shown only by the crinkle of his optics. "I know. You never did like help, even that time when you were sick."

Ratchet groaned, covering his face a bit. "Please, don't remind me of that. I swear, I though I was going to die."

"The way you were moaning, one thought you were." First Aid smirked, checking over the stuff one last time and possibly adding one or two more things. "All right...you ready?"

"Seriously, Aid? _I've_ been ready!" Ratchet exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you to-"

"Okay, we're going!" First Aid sing-songed in a high and annoying voice to both irritate his old mentor and shut him up.

Taking the handles, he pushed forward to move the hover-chair along.

* * *

"Ratch-"

"Quiet." Ratchet ordered sharply.

"I think-"

"No."

First Aid vented. Bee's graduation ceremony had been quick, not too fast but it was the graduation of only one bot. A reception was right after, but First Aid had taken Ratchet to a quiet corner, away from the after-party. He was looking pale and was visibly shakey, even though he hid it well.

"Ratch, I think Bee would understand if you needed to go back and re-"

"I said no!" Ratchet exclaimed, grunting breathlessly a bit as he started to lose control of his shaking and jerked sharply.

"Easy." First Aid said, as calmly as he could.

Ratchet's vents were harder now, even though he had ventilation tubes in his olfactories (much to his chagrin). Knowing that if this was another seizure, there was nothing he was going to be able to do unless he actually started to Grand Mal, First Aid did the only thing he could. He knelt before Ratchet, and took his hands.

"You can fight it, Ratch. Just deep vents, and it'll be over before you know."

A sharp, pained hiss worked it's way from Ratchet's vocalizer as he jerked again. His hand flinched, and he almost frantically gripped First Aid with his other.

"Easy, it'll be all right." First Aid continued calmly, soothingly. "It's all most over."

True to the younger medic's word, Ratchet jerked harshly once more before venting harshly. Completely tired out. He shuttered his optics against the instant helmache, and intook deeply a few times.

"There, see?" First Aid said, glancing away from Ratchet to check a few of the medical reading. Elevated spark, high energon pressure, and stressed and taxed systems. "Now... are you sure that you don't-"

"I promised, Aid." Ratchet vented, pinching his olfactories, exhausted.

"But do _you _want to stay?" First Aid asked.

He inwardly sighed as the medic hesitantly bit his bottom lip, torn between the two too obvious options. Stay, or go. Stay to fulfil his promise to the youngling, or go because he honestly needed the rest.

"A short time." Ratchet compromised.

"Very short." First Aid added, and waited for the comeback. There was none.

As he took the handles of the chair once again, he didn't even try to fight against the pang in his spark. Ratchet was tired. So tired, and in more ways then one. His body was giving out, slowly, painfully. It wouldn't last much longer.

He plastered a smile on his face plates as he was motioned over to a single table, full of friends.

"Aid." Ratchet said aloud, his voice masked so well that not one could guess what had just happened, "Meet Jack, Miko, and Raf."

* * *

Ratchet vented, shuttering his optics to the glorious sunset before him. It wasn't that it hurt to look at it, only that he wanted to relish the bit he saw in his mind.

He knew what was happening, why it was so easy to convince Aid to let him go back and stay with Optimus. Of course, there were many strings attached. A few being that he had to stay in the hover-chair at all times (unless he was in another chair or his berth), Optimus was to watch and check on him constantly, and he was to never, _ever_ get off the Cybertronium infusion.

While a bit irritating, he had to admit it was necessary. Without the direct Cybertronium feed, he would most likely slip into a voluntary stasis and slip away without being able to so much as see one of his friends beforehand.

And, while he hated that chair with every fiber of his being (so much so that he liked to call it different cuss names when alone, just to make himself feel better) his joints were so locked and frozen that no amount of therapy or rubbing would loosen them. He was lucky to have functioning servos and a helm that he could turn around.

A voice called him away from his thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine, Elita." Ratchet promised. "Optimus send you here?"

"No." Elita returned, standing at the balcony and leaning on it just a bit. "I came up on my own."

Ratchet grunted a bit, shifting. He hated being the center of attention (yes, quite contrary to many beliefs), and he felt as if he had been thrust into the spotlight.

"So..." the pink femme drawled a bit. "How are you feeling."

"If you're going to ask that, then you can crawl right back to whatever hole you came from." Ratchet snorted.

"Fine, fine." Elita shrugged. "Be like that?"

"Like what?" Ratchet demanded.

"Cranky."

"I am not."

"Grumpy, then." Elita stated.

Ratchet scoffed, turning his attention back to the sunset. A cool breeze blew over the balcony, quite pleasant to the younger bot. Ratchet wished it would just go away. It was making him cold, and he absolutely was _not_ asking for a blanket!

"I'm going inside." Ratchet stated, if only to make it seem like it was the most natural thing to do.

"All right." Elita returned, not even turning around. She knew how Ratchet hated the other waiting on him. What he needed was some space.

Once inside, Ratchet wondered why all the others couldn't be like Elita-1. Just leave him the frag alone!

No matter. It was getting late. (Yep, sunset was late to an old bot like him.) He swore that he literally heard his berth calling him.

* * *

Why was it always to hard to get up in the morning? Actually, strike that, he didn't want to get up. He was having such a nice dream- even though he couldn't recall it now- except this infernal beep kept interrupting it.

Actually...come to think of it, maybe he was still dreaming. That annoying, steady beep was still going. No. All those vorns as a medic made that noise too noticable, no matter how hard he tried to forget or ignore it.

A spark machine. He didn't remember having one on, though. He was watching the sunset, getting annoyed by Elita, and went to bed. No spark machine needed them. Now, just what had-

A vent disturbed his thoughts. He unshuttered his optics, painfully aware of pressure on his lips and in his mouth from a medically placed ventilation tube (again with this scrap. He didn't want it!) He noticed that he wasn't in the hospital again- that was a relief- but still in his room. He wasn't alone, as First Aid was seated beside the berth, helm in hands.

He was always so quiet, even as an assistant. He was quiet now, his vents just barely hitching and the only thing giving away his tears was the spasming of his back in his hunched position. The mech had always been so quiet, and lonely.

Maybe that's what compelled Ratchet to take him under his wing. He had always said it was because Aid was quiet and took orders without question, but, really, the reason stemmed from the fact that First Aid had always been a loner. He would float outside of the cliques, keeping to himself and his books.

"Aid?" Ratchet croaked from behind the tube, it coming out as only the vowel sound.

First Aid snapped up, turning towards the berthridden mech. "Thank Primus, you're up."

Ratchet nodded. Finding himself unable to speak, he switched to comms. : What happened? :

"You weren't waking up." First Aid answered. "Optimus Prime came up to check on you as you never went down. You weren't answering him, so he called."

: Why am I not in the hospital? : Ratchet asked, knowing that First Aid was probably fighting himself for not taking him there.

"Because." First Aid answered simply, seeming perfectly fine now. "You wouldn't have wanted to be there."

Ratchet grunted a bit, it coming out rather odd from it's muffled effect. : What are your observations, doctor? : he humored.

First Aid didn't answer at first, instead checking things out. He adjusted the spark monitor readings, checked the I.V. fluids, the like. Ratchet himself knew what the problem was, but wanted Aid to say it himself.

"You're..." did his voice just crack. "Not... doing so hot."

Ratchet snorted. : So hot? :

First AId smirked for a mere second. "Ratch... you're too low. No matter how much I pump into you, you're frame is just not absorbing the Cybertronuim anymore. You might get bits of it, but-"

His intakes hitched and he turned away, unable to say more without it coming out hysterical keens. He had control now, sort of.

:I know, Aid. It's-:

"Not fair!" First Aid finished. "It's just not fair."

A half-whimper came from the mech, and he bit down on his glossa to keep from crying outright in front of Ratchet.

:Sit : Ratchet ordered, half-sitting

"Ratchet-"

: Not a suggestion :

First Aid listened. He sat down, straight and tall as if he were in some delegates meeting. Ratchet vented, and reached to clasp First Aid's shoulder. That touch did it, as if it hit the younger bot that this could be the very last time he ever _felt_ Ratchet.

: Aid, you've done all you could. You've done good-:

"Ratch, don't." First Aid got out. "Please."

: What happens isn't your fault. : Ratchet continued. : You did well, and I'm prou-no. I'm _honored_ that is is I who taught you what you know. :

"Ratch." First Aid choked. "Please."

: Aid, you did all you could, even though I knew it was useless : Ratchet said, giving the red shoulder a squeeze. : I'm only sorry that it couldn't have worked, to save you some of this pain :

First Aid couldn't speak, crying once again. He wanted to be shocked as Ratchet pulled the younger mech towards himself, holding him, but only wanted to feel this moment in the best way he could.

Ratchet shuttered his optics, letting the youngling cry.

* * *

That had to have been the hardest thing ever to do. The look on Bee's face when he had seated the youngling beside him and talked to him (actually talked since Aid had removed the ventilation tube to make this just a bit easier), the youngling had broke into sobs and just been totally sparkbroken.

Arcee and Bulkhead were easier-so to speak. Both had looked like they wanted to break down in tears, yet both had remained strong and supportive.

Smokescreen, Ratchet wasn't fully sure if he actually _understood_. Or, maybe, he just didn't _want_ to understand. He had said things like 'You'll get better' and left with saying 'See ya later'.

All that was really left, was Optimus. Actually, Optimus had been avoiding him. He hadn't come to see hom once since he had found Ratchet in a seemingly endless slumber. He was the only one, though, who Ratchet really wanted to see before the end.

* * *

Aid had been right. Too right. Ratchet was no longer absorbing any of the Cybertronium, and was slowly slipping farther and farther away, both physically and mentally. He could barely remain awake for long, and often fell into recharge at a moments notice-even in mid-sentece.

* * *

He was growing tired. More and more by the orn. The children, Fowler, and even June had come to visit him next, but still no Optimus.

* * *

Mentally, Ratchet was going fast. He just wanted to talk to Optimus, before he was unable to speak coherently. He could feel First Aid beside him, talking, but was unable to make anything he was saying out.

"Hold on, Ratch, please." First Aid pleaded, grasping his hand like a lifeline.

Ratchet mumbled something, so low that Aid had to lower his audio to the other mech's lips to hear it. He kept repeating a single word, again and again; slower and slower. "Pax...Pax...Pax..."

The door opened. "You commed, Aid?"

"Elita, get Optimus. Now."

"Aid, Optimus-"

"It's now or never."

"I'll try."

The door closed again. Ratchet took a deep vent, his dim optics brightening a bit as he gained lucidly once again.

"You all there?" First Aid asked, controlling his shaking voice.

Ratchet nodded, too tired to speak now, and saving his energy for one bot. The door slid open again, and the tall build of Optimus Prime filled it. He looked haggard and tired, and worn and worried.

First Aid kept himself from scowling at the leader as the much taller mech entered, his very demeanor showing that he would much rather be anywhere then in this very position.

"Aid, can you-" Ratchet asked, chassis slowly rising and falling with each word.

"I'll be right outside the door." First Aid promised before leaving.

Optimus stood silently, just looking. Ratchet had less wires and tubes in him then before, probably because he had requested them away. He didn't want to...go, with so many things attached to him. It just didn't feel right.

Both were silent for a moment, neither speaking, neither having anything to say. Oddly enough, Ratchet broke the too long, too awkward silence.

"You're an aft." the old medic smirked.

"Ratchet-"

"I had a whole speech planned, and you've taken too long and now I've forgotten it." Ratchet finished sharply, a bit of mischief dancing in his tired optics.

Optimus sat down beside him, for once at a loss for words. He only took Ratchet's hand in his, and nearly released it. It felt too fragile, too weak. Like porcelain. He felt as if he would break it if he so much as vented on it too hard.

Ratchet squeezed Optimus' hand, not letting go or giving the other a chance to go. Optimus was having a harder time accepting the fact then Smokescreen was. Smokescreen was young, and the thought of death most likely scared the Pit out of him.

Optimus was his oldest-No- his _best_ friend. Ratchet's, and most likely Optimus', first true friend. They'd been together through the very thickest and the very thinnest of times. Ratchet had healed Optimus through his worst, and Optimus had stood by his side and helped him fight through his own very worst.

And here was a problem that neither could fix.

"You need rest." Optimus managed to say in a somewhat normal sounding voice.

He could feel Ratchet weakening, slipping away. He could barely speak now. Optimus felt terrible, he _had_ waited too long to see Ratchet. How could he have been so selfish?

"Tired." Ratchet vented in agreement, but in a different way. "Can-can you...shut off the m-monitor?"

Optimus gave a single nod, and flipped down a single switch. The slow but steady spark rate disappeared into blackness. Optimus squeezed Ratchet's hand but never released the pressure.

"'M...sorry, Pax."

"Don't."

Ratchet's chassis heaved once in a gasp, and he intook and extook a few times to get his breathing normal again.

"Don't apologize." Optimus rephrased. "Just...rest."

He kept his hand firm as Ratchet's optics shuttered. He wanted to shut off his audios so that he didn't have to hear him vent out, but found himself unable to even start his inner comm. Slowly, he released Ratchet's hand, crossed it over the darkened chassis, and pulled up the blanket.

* * *

_"Ratchet?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"I know this is gonna sound corny, but...will we always be together? Friends, I mean?" _

_Ratchet stopped his activity, and thought hard for a moment. "Orion, I think the only thing that could separate us now...is death itself."_

_"Then promise me that."_

_"Promise you what?"_

_"That death will be the only thing to ever separate us."_

_A too rare smile crossed the youngling's face. He clasped the other's red and blue hand in his own, and gave a good hard shake._

_"Promise."_

The End

* * *

Author's Note- Yes, I killed Ratchet. I've never done a death-fic before, and thought that this story would be a good try out for it.

Don't mean to sound cocky or anything, but, reading back on this, I think my writing improved near the end!

*stands with arms spread to side* Feel free to kill me now, since I both ended this fic AND killed Ratchet. I won't stop ya.


End file.
